Bands: Darkness Within the Light
by Laura Barton
Summary: Killing Serena is their main goal and it looks like they might win. And as one breaks free from the darkness' control, she comes to realize that her past is full of darkness. Will she defeat the evil or rejoin it? -Star Saga: Season 01-
1. Chapter 01

**Bands  
**_Chapter 01_

Midnight. A cool summer evening. Complete stillness. Even the animals seemed content with keeping the peace that night. The bright moon cast shadows throughout the city of Tokyo, Japan, where most everyone slept and rested for the night. Those who weren't asleep were too busy going about their business to notice the shapes that moved through the city.

There seemed to be three of them, bounding quickly from rooftop to rooftop and seemingly in search of something. The backdrop of stars and the moon made their figures look as silhouettes, even as they came to a halt on the balcony of one building in particular.

"This is Serenity's house, Star?" one of the figures asked, her silhouette the tallest among the group. Her attention turned to the one she called Star.

"Yes," Star responded, and her silhouette nodded. She was certain of this for she could sense the girl within. She wondered why the others couldn't as well, but didn't question it aloud.

"Let's go then," the first said sternly, motioning for the third of the group to open the balcony's door.

A glint of gold flashed in the moonlight as the third of the group moved towards the door. The golden object, seemingly a blade of some sort was first placed at the seam at the top of the door and the doorframe and then the dragged down. The golden glow followed the blade's motion and once it had reached the bottom, the door slid open silently.

"Space," the first addressed again, this time speaking to the third. "Wake Serenity. Star, deal with the cat when she comes in." Her cold eyes didn't see the cat anywhere at this point, but knew it would show up eventually.

"Wake up, dear Serenity," Space whispered, sitting on the side of the bed and patting the sleeping girl's face. "Serenity," Space whispered a little louder when Serena only continued to snore.

"What is it, Luna?" Serena mumbled in her sleep, turning over and trying to swat who she thought to be her guardian cat away. When she felt her wrist caught in someone's grasp though, her eyes flew open and she sat up in horror, her blonde hair tumbling around her form. She was horrified to find these strangers in her room. Strangers dressed as Senshi.

"Sorry, dearest," Space grinned, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "I'm not Luna."

"Luna!" Serena shouted, but regretted it soon after, feeling a dagger suddenly pressed to her throat. She leaned back against her headboard, trying to get away, but she could obviously go no further. Her eyes went to her nightstand, where her communicator and locket lay, but she didn't dare do anything other than look at them.

"What is it, Serena?" Luna came charging into the room, but didn't get very far as she suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air by the scruff of her neck. The cat hissed violently and wriggled in the grasp of her captor, but made no progress.

"Enough," Star shook Luna forcefully and looked the cat right in the eye, though keeping her far enough away that she couldn't scratch her face.

Luna's eyes widened, seeing strangeness in this girl's piercing grey eyes. She couldn't read a definitive expression, which confused and frightened her. She looked the girl over, seeing long, white hair contrasting a black Senshi fuku, and Luna had a feeling that the fuku wasn't black just because the room was dark.

"What do you want with me?" Serena asked with a shaky voice. She desperately wished she could reach her friends, but her eyes locked with Space's dark ones. She was surprised when it wasn't Space that answered, since she thought there were only two of them in there.

"Serenity," the first answered, "we want nothing more than your death."

Serena's face paled at the words and her blue eyes grew large. "My death?" she breathed.

"That's right," the first nodded. "Your death. You see, you're a real nuisance. We can't let your future to happen."

Silence fell between them, Luna's mind reeling and trying to figure out what she could do as she looked these Senshi over. All of them wore black as the main colour of their fuku. She saw that the one holding her had short black gloves, reaching only to her wrists. Her boots reached just below her knees and she saw that there were no bows on the front or back of her fuku. A black scarf draped over her shoulders and a black band was around her neck. Through her bangs, it could be seen that her tiara was a tarnished silver with a black gem in the center. Her fuku seemed pretty basic.

The one with the dagger to Serena's throat (something Luna really worried about, even though it looked like the Senshi wasn't pressing the blade into the skin) also had shorter gloves that reached to her wrists, though the edges of the gloves were wavy, rather than straight. Her boots were the same, reaching about the middle of her calves. It was hard to see because of the girl's bangs, but it looked like she had that same tarnished silver on her tiara. She too, had a black band around her neck.

The one who stood by the door on the balcony still, the one who was very clearly the leader of the trio, had gloves that reached her wrists, but then the fabric split into several strands of what looked like ribbon and crisscrossed up her arms to her elbow. Her boots were the same as the gloves. Luna could also see that this one didn't have a band around her neck, but she didn't think much of it.

"What's so terrible about Crystal Tokyo?" Luna asked, breaking the short moments of silence that passed between them. Her voice was low, almost a growl, but she tried to stop that growl since she didn't want to provoke them.

The three strange Senshi didn't have a chance to respond though as the one by the door turned suddenly, becoming aware of someone else.

"I don't know who you are," the voice of Sailor Mars rang out. "But you'd better drop that dagger if you know what's good for you!"

"Oh great," Space sighed with exasperation. "The 'dream team' is here."

"Don't worry about it," the leader snapped. "We can handle them."

"Do you even know who we are?" Jupiter snapped, glaring at them.

"We know ex-" the leader began, but was cut short.

"I'm Sailor Jupiter!"

"Sailor Mars!"

"Sailor Mercury!"

"Sailor Venus!"

"Together we're the Sailor Senshi!" the chorused at the end.

Star, Space and the leader just stared at the group, clearly not amused, but it was Star that spoke for them.

"Was that necessary?" the girl asked, her grey eyes showing that she wasn't impressed.

"Really," the leader added. "We already knew that. Why would we be here if we didn't know that?"

"Well," Mars stuttered suddenly, thrown by the fact that they weren't intimidated. "Who are you?"

"You can call us Dark Senshi," the first told them. She didn't look like she was about to introduce each of them individually and neither did the other two.

"That doesn't-!" Jupiter began, making a fist at them.

"He's here!" Star announced suddenly, throwing the cat towards where Serena still lay and leaping out of the way. The white haired Senshi landed out in the hallway, looking not to the rose that had been imbedded into the carpet where she'd been standing a moment before, but to the new figure that now stood on the balcony.

"Endymion!" the leader looked pleased. "So glad you could join us!"

"Endymion?" Luna questioned, shaking herself as she stood up on the bed. She stopped quickly, realizing that the dagger wielder was still there.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Serena breathed happily, thinking that things would definitely be all right now. Her friends were all here to help her (and damn was her room crowded because of it).

"What's going on here?" he demanded, his voice cold and showing that he didn't want to be tested. He'd aimed for the Senshi that was still standing in the hallway because she was the only one that he could get a clear shot of. He was surprised by her speed and how she'd sensed him.

"Don't start with some noble, sappy speech," the leader said, stepping towards him. "I don't want to hear it and I really don't care what you have to say. We get it. You're here to stop us, blah, blah, blah."

"If it's the Imperial Silver Crystal-!" Mars started, but like seemed to be common for the night, was interrupted.

"Yeah, no. Don't want the Crystal," Space shook her head. "If that was all we wanted, I would have taken it from her by now. Even if I had to cut it out of her chest myself." Space said, moving the blade to Serena's chest to demonstrate and she grinned when she heard Tuxedo Mask restrain himself from attacking her. "But like I said, we don't want the Crystal." She returned the blade to Serena's throat.

"Then what do you want?" Mercury asked coolly, though she was worried because she wasn't getting any clear readings off of them. Just when she thought she had it, the computer would go on the fritz.

"To stop the future," the leader said, her own grin turning evil on her face.

"How do you expect to do that?" Mars asked hotly. "Shouldn't you be seeing Pluto about that?"

"Idiot," Star snapped, receiving a glare from Mars. "Why would we go to all that trouble when we can just stop the future at its source?"

"You said you didn't want-" Venus began.

"We don't want the Crystal!" the leader snapped, becoming impatient. "We're here to kill your princess."

"The hell you are!" Tuxedo Mask roared and charged forward now. However, he didn't get anywhere near Space as Star stepped in his path and punched him in the stomach. As he doubled over, she lowered him to the floor.

"Now, now, Endymion," Star said in a quiet voice. "Don't be doing that, or we'll have to kill you, too."

"You might as well," Tuxedo Mask snarled, mildly confused by why they all kept calling him Endymion, but not worrying about it right now.

"But there's no need for that. We only kill who we need to," Star told him. "So be a good boy," she rose to her feet now. "And stay out of our way!" She kicked him in the jaw, but only hard enough to send him sprawling across the floor.

"Stop it!" Venus shouted. She very much wanted to charge forward, but like her friends, she was worried for Serena's safety and seeing what just happened to Tuxedo Mask didn't make any attempt at an attack look smart.

The leader laughed as she headed to the balcony door, watching as the Senshi parted for her. She smiled smugly at each of them, then motioned for Star to come to her. Once those two were out the door, she looked to Space, who rose from the bed, giving Serena one last pat on the face before quickly joining her companions.

"Don't worry," the leader said, turning to the Senshi and Serena, who was now on the floor next to Tuxedo Mask and seeing if he was okay. "We'll be back." And they vanished into the night.

The other girls turned towards Serena, Darien and Luna, who was on the bed and looking down at them.

"Serena, I'll stay here for the rest of the night," Jupiter offered.

As much as Serena didn't want to be babysat, she nodded and thanked her friend. She was worried and shaken from having a weapon pointed at her and she didn't think she'd ever been that close to death, which frightened her. She was glad that her mom and brother weren't home; that would have been a nightmare.

She was helping Darien to his feet now and making sure he was okay as Mars said, "We should meet up tomorrow and figure out what we're going to do."

"Agreed," Luna said with a crisp nod. "After school, everyone meet at the Hikawa Shrine, got it?"

"Right," they chorused.

xxxxxxx

The four girls, Darien and the two guardians sat behind Rei as she knelt before the fire. In her traditional garb, she made symbols with her hands and had her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she spoke to the fire.

"Tell us about these Dark Senshi," she asked of it, though it was worded as an order. She would never order it though, for she had much respect for the power that the fire possessed.

The fire flicked darkly and Rei's brow furrowed before the image became clearer. The three Senshi, standing strong in a group, came into silhouetted shape within the flames. Rei studied them with her dark eyes, looking for any sign that the fire might give. In this image, she saw that each were possessing a weapon. The leader had a tall staff, the other the dagger and it was very difficult to tell what the third was holding since the shapes were dark. Rei mentally willed it clearer, but it didn't work.

"Which of them is our greatest threat?" the raven head asked, expecting the image of the leader to come into focus, but instead she was surprised to see the third of the group come into focus. Even with this clearer image, it was hard to tell what kind of weapon she possessed.

"That one?" Mina questioned in a whisper, but Lita elbowed her in silent command to shut up.

"Why?" Rei asked.

The fire briefly flickered to show the Senshi moving with great speeds and agility, and they saw her arm drawn back, however, before they could see the weapon, the fire roared loudly and extinguished like water had been poured on it. It hissed and smoked and Rei backed away in alarm, shielding her eyes with her arm, but the smoke only continued to billow.

"Let's get outside," Darien said, coughing as the smoke reached him.

"Good idea," Artemis agreed, heading out ahead of them with Luna.

When they were outside and away from the billowing smoke, they all looked to Rei.

"What happened?" Lita asked.

"I have no idea," Rei shook her head. "It's never done that before."

"Why do you think that that one is the most dangerous?" Mina asked, still shocked by the fire's telling.

"I have no idea. But it seemed like she sensed me before I even got there last night," Darien said. "You saw how she jumped out of the way."

"Yeah, and she called out 'he's here' before that even," Ami nodded. "There's something strange about these Senshi, though. My computer won't work properly to scan them, the fire extinguishing like that," she shook her head, a worried expression on her face. "I don't like this."

The group went back inside once the smoke had cleared to discuss the matter further. Once everyone was comfortable and there were snacks on the table, they began to discuss what they would do about these Senshi and how exactly they would protect Serena from them.

"I don't want a babysitter!" Serena protested right away. "I don't want to have to have people hanging around me all the time."

"Then you're going to have to protect yourself," Rei said sternly. "You think you can do that, Meatball-head?"

Serena shrunk back, leaning slightly against Darien as she thought about this. Could she really protect herself from them? Without much realizing it, her hand went to her throat; there was no evidence that a blade had been placed there, but she knew that she hadn't imagined it. She snapped out of her reverie when Darien took her wrist, brought the hand away from her neck and held it in his own. She looked up at him, but didn't need to do so to know that he was worried about her. They all were.

The blonde never got a chance to respond as they heard a commotion outside.

"Well, well, well! What would three lovely young ladies such as yourselves like here?" Rei's grandfather's voice made its way into the building. "And what strange outfits you have!" the elderly man commented.

The team was up and outside in a flash, surprised and yet not to see the Dark Senshi standing there on the steps of the Hikawa Shrine. What did surprise them was that they _were_ just standing there.

"Grandpa! Get away from them!" Rei ordered, waving her arm in front of her to get her point across.

"Come now, Rei. They're just nice girls," he frowned at his granddaughter. "Aren't you?"

"Of course, sir," Space laughed lightly, and it almost sounded like a giggle. "But, please, we're here to see your granddaughter."

"Oh," the man said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "All right then. If you need me, I'll be inside!" he said with a wink and scurried off inside the shrine.

The group stood dumbfounded by the display. If anything, they'd expected the girls to at least be rude to the old man, but yet they were so kind just then. Yet, when they looked to the large group, their expressions turned dark.

"Back already, Nega-slime?" Lita said, taking a fighting stance and readying herself.

The leader placed a hand on her chest and gave an appalled look. "Nega-slime? Don't lump us in with those losers," she sounded offended.

"Yeah," Space put her hands on her hips. "We're way better than those guys, right, Star?"

The white haired Senshi only nodded, her eyes on Serena and her grin grew when she saw Darien place himself between her and her target.

"Now, to make this fight fair," the leader began in an informative voice, "we'll give you a moment to transform."

"Time's up!" Star announced about a second later and they saw a long whip suddenly appear in her hand and unravel and hit the ground. Star leapt into the air, gaining a good amount of height before shouting, "Star Pain!"

The whip flew forward, but the girls and Darien managed to jump out of the way just in time, leaving the whip to connect with the ground. When the dust cleared, they saw that it had cracked the stone.

"That tells us what her weapon is, at least," Rei said before pulling out her henshin pen. "Let's go guys," she said and the others nodded.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

"Mars Star Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

"Mercury Star Power!"

As the group came out of their transformations, they found that they were surrounded by the three Senshi. Each brandished their weapon now, the leader with her staff, the one with her dagger and Star with her whip. The staff was tall and had a tarnished silver handle and at the top it had claws, which held a dark orb. This orb seemed to contain a mini-universe as the specks that could be seen within it moved against the blackness.

The dagger, now that they could see it in the light, appeared to have etchings in it, but it was hard to see what those were. In any case, it looked as menacing at it had in the darkness.

The whip was indeed very long and it was entirely black. As they had already witnessed, it was also greatly powerful. So when it flew forward again and wrapped around the group of six, they cringed in fear at what she would do. However, she wasn't given the time.

"Sorry guys," Jupiter warned. "Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!"

The lightning coursed through and around the whip, shocking Jupiter and her friends, as the Senshi of Thunder has suspected it would, but this lightning also reached the owner of the whip, forcing her to let go of the weapon or else be shocked. Star did let go, too, watching as her weapon vanished as it fell to the ground. She wasn't worried about it though, knowing she could call upon it again.

Freed, the Senshi made an effort to separate so that they couldn't be bound together again. They stood far apart and watched the Senshi carefully.

The leader only grinned. "Universal Explosion!" she shouted as she pointed her staff in their direction.

The attack, an orb of black, much like the one on the top of the staff, shot forward, landing on the ground in the center of the group. Though they'd parted, they were still close enough to be affected by the attack and each was thrown in a separate direction. The only three unaffected by this were the Dark Senshi, who held their ground well as the ground shook beneath their feet.

Star suddenly leapt forward, fearlessly launching herself into the dust and debris that was flying in the air and she took hold of her target. Spinning, she used her momentum to throw Sailor Moon from the rest of the group. The Moon Senshi landed dangerously close to the stairs, almost falling down them, but managing to stop herself. She cringed in pain and tried to get her breath, but felt a shadow fall over her. She looked up at Star with fearful eyes.

"Get up, Serenity," the Senshi ordered.

"Please, don't do this!" Sailor Moon pleaded, trying to push herself to her feet all the while. Her legs shook, but she finally managed to stand and looked the other in the eye. What she saw startled her.

She saw the same thing that Luna had and she couldn't place a single emotion, at least not at first. Suddenly, a shadow seemed to pass over the Senshi's eyes and distress and sadness followed before returning to the chaotic mess of emotions that was there before.

"You're sad," Sailor Moon said without thinking, hearing her friends fighting against the other two Dark Senshi in the background.

Star's eyes narrowed to a glare. "What a stupid thing to say," she said, winding up and punching Sailor Moon in the jaw.

The girl reeled sideways, glad to have not been thrown down the many steps of the shrine, but still feeling the pain of the physical attack.

"I know what I just saw," Sailor Moon said gently. "You don't want this, do you? I can help you."

"Silence!" Star snapped.

"I'll help all of you! Turn you good again!" Sailor Moon said, figuring that the others were the same as the Senshi that stood before her.

Star suddenly grabbed Sailor Moon by the scarf of her fuku and held her in place, continuing to glare.

"I said, shut-" Star began, but faltered. She looked briefly confused, like she didn't know where she was or what she was doing, but then the band around her neck seemed to glow slightly and the confusion was gone. The Senshi shook her head, looked at Sailor Moon and then threw the girl back towards the others. She had a surprising amount of strength, considering that she wasn't using any momentum this time.

Universe watched Star as she came back towards them. She'd seen what had happened over by the steps and worry struck her suddenly.

"Star, what's wrong?" Universe demanded, but there definitely wasn't concern for her well being in that voice.

"It's fine," the Senshi insisted, her eyes on Sailor Moon as she picked herself up off the ground again.

Universe looked at her skeptically, but her attention returned to the Senshi as a chain came flying her way. She dodged it, but allowed her staff to get wrapped up in it. While Venus smiled at this, Universe grinned even more, using all her bodyweight to pull the girl forward, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Space Black Hole Engulf!" Space shouted, the area darkening around them to the point where all were blind.

The Senshi stopped, trying to figure out a way to see in the darkness, but not managing to do so. They heard a voice call out through the darkness.

"Star Pain!"

And then they felt the whip. Before they passed out, they heard laughing voices.

"Should we kill her now?" Space asked Universe, watching the girls and Tuxedo Mask fall unconscious as the darkness cleared.

"No," Universe said, thinking aloud. "We should drag this out. Break her spirit. We already know that we can defeat them." While she believed this to be true, it wasn't the only reason she was leaving this be for now.

"But what if they figure out some way to fight back?" Space asked, only to receive a slap from Universe.

"Don't be stupid!" the Senshi snapped. "We don't have to worry about them." She turned away from Space now, looking to Star. "What happened over there?"

Star looked evenly at Universe. "I don't know," she said. "All of a sudden a strange feeling came over me."

"Don't let her cast her stupid spells on you," Universe warned, placing a hand on her shoulder. While this seemed a friendly move, the glow of the orb on the staff could not go unmissed, nor could the glow of the band around Star's neck. "There," Universe said once the glow past. "I boosted your power some more, incase she tried and funny stuff. Remember our mission."

"Of course!" Star looked furious that Universe would even think that she would forget that. "It won't happen again."

Universe saw the determination in the other's eyes and smiled. "Let's go then," Universe said, turning and heading down the steps of the shrine, followed by the two other Senshi.


	2. Chapter 02

**Bands  
**_Chapter 02_

Luna licked her lips as she walked into Serena's bedroom. She'd just been eating, but after taking a glance at the clock decided it was probably time to go meet with the others. They'd all decided to have another meeting, since they hadn't really figured anything out from the fight.

After regaining consciousness, they were all, needless to say, shaken up and had decided it was probably better to call it a day than to try and figure something out in the panicked mindset they had. So, once everyone was sure they were all okay, they headed home for some quality rest time.

Luna expected that Serena might even still be asleep, considering it was the weekend, but when she walked into the room and jumped up on the bed, the girl wasn't there. She saw that they bed hadn't been made either and she began to think the worst. The black cat looked around the room frantically, calling quietly, since Serena's family was home, for the missing girl.

"Serena!" she called out in a whispering hiss. "Serena, if you're here get out here!"

But Serena was nowhere to be found. Luna looked everywhere in the room and then even went to check the bathroom. For good measure, she went back downstairs, but the girl wasn't even stuffing her face in the kitchen. Luna's heart began to race.

"No," she said softly as she raced towards the door. "I have to get the others."

Reaching the door, she found it locked and closed, and she simply sighed irritably as she stared at it for a moment.

"I don't have time for this," she growled, heading instead towards an open window.

Once outside, she ran down the streets, heading towards the shrine. Dodging feet and bicycles everywhere, she came to a halt in front of one building very briefly. She looked through the large glass doors and windows of the arcade with her reddish eyes. When a young child tried to pet her before going into the arcade, she rudely swatted him away, but it was only because she knew she couldn't waste time.

'No Serena,' she thought as she ran off to down the street to another store where she thought that she might find Serena. Yet… 'Not here either,' she told herself before racing from the pastry shop to the shrine now.

The cat was growing tired, but continued her sprint even as she ran up the steps towards the shrine. She huffed about how there were too many steps, ignored comments made by a group of girls leaving the shrine and continued until she reached the door where the others would surely be. She was glad that it was open, so when she walked in, she simply collapsed on the floor.

"Luna!" Artemis ran over to her, nudging her gently. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked very quickly, showing his concern.

Luna just shook her head and forced herself to rise to her feet, which was difficult since her legs were shaking a bit. She resolved to just lay on the ground, taking deep breaths.

"I don't know where Serena is," she huffed out finally, watching the other girls' reactions. "I checked everywhere I thought she could be," the cat explained as Lita opened her mouth to ask a question. "The arcade, the pastry shop, all over the house… I can't find her."

"You don't think it could be the Dark Senshi got her?" Mina asked worriedly, looking to her friends.

"I don't know for sure," Luna continued, forcing herself to rise again as Rei brought her a bowl of water. After taking a few laps, she spoke again. "I really hope not, but I can't rule it out."

"All right," Lita stood up as she said this. "Let's go kick some Nega-butt." Indeed, she recalled that they said they weren't from the Negaverse, but she still insisted on calling them that.

"I'm with Lita," Rei nodded. "They're not going to get away with this!"

"Get away with what?"

"Serena!" the group chorused, shocked by the sudden appearance of the girl. They all stood there gawking and obviously waiting for an explanation.

"What?" Serena asked, looking to each of them. When her eyes fell on Luna, she grew concerned. "Luna! What happened? What'd they do to you?!" She rushed over, kneeling down beside the cat, but Luna only swatted at her.

"_They_ didn't do anything! I was running my tail off looking for _you_!" The cat's ears flattened on her head in irritation, but she was also glad that Serena was all right. "Where have you been? I thought you'd been kidnapped!"

"What? No!" Serena waved her hands around. "My mom had me run an errand for her!"

"You couldn't tell me that?!" Luna roared.

"Since when do I need to tell you when I go on an errand?" Serena asked, cocking a brow.

"Serena!" Luna said with exasperation. "You never cease to amaze me! There are people out there looking to kill you. _Kill_, not hurt. Not kidnap. Ki-"

"I get it, Luna!" Serena snapped. "I'm not a child!" She stood up, stomping one of her feet slightly as she did so. "Do I have to report to you guys, too?" she glared at them indignantly.

"We just want you to be safe," Ami said carefully, watching her friend with worried eyes. "If we don't know where you are, how are we supposed to know you're safe? We're only worried."

"Well, thanks, but I don't need a babysitter!" she snapped again. "I _can_ take care of myself."

With that, Serena turned away from her friends and headed out of the shrine.

"Serena, get back here!" Luna called angrily, like a parent that was being disobeyed by her child. She was about to chase after her when she felt Artemis by her side.

"Let her cool down," he said.

Luna sighed heavily, turning back, with Artemis, towards the rest of the group.

From the wall surrounding the shrine, concealed in the shadows of the trees, a pair of green eyes watched the scene. The owner of those eyes balanced on the wall, tail swishing as his ears picked up what they could of the conversation. Those same eyes watched as Serena stormed off, heading down the steps with her hands clenched into fists and muttering something or another that he was too far away to hear.

Deciding that there was nothing else he could get from staying, the figure leapt off the wall and headed off in another direction than Serena had gone. Purposefully, he trotted through the streets, avoiding feet and tires until he turned down the road to a large apartment complex. He headed around to the back of the complex, leaping up onto the sill where there was a slightly open window and squeezing through to get inside.

Inside, the room looked like any other apartment. The door, however, was barred with several locks and from outside that door, the room looked abandoned. The figure wondered that no one ever came to investigate this room, but figured that it had something to do with the dark powers of those who resided there.

Walking past the others, brushing off the glares that they sent him, he went into the kitchen area, where he found who he was looking for. The feline jumped up on the counter.

"What did you find out?" the voice asked as she went about making some food for herself.

"Serenity and the others are fighting," the cat said, pacing slightly on the edge of the counter, careful to keep his balance.

The girl looked to the form of the black and white feline with green eyes with her own confused, grey eyes. "Fighting?"

"Not like a physical battle," the cat was quick to explain. "She's mad because they're treating her like a child."

"I see," Star said, returning to preparing her food. "She stormed off, I guess?"

"Right," the cat nodded, now watching the girl gravely. She wasn't in her Senshi form, but he daren't call her by her name now. The only semblance of her Senshi self in this form was the black band that was always around her neck, but still, to call her anything other than her Senshi name would cause anger among the group.

"Did they have anyone follow her?" the white haired girl asked without missing a beat as she stuck the food in the microwave and headed to the fridge to get a drink.

"Not that I saw," the animal shook his head.

"Maybe we should attack now," the girl said, leaning against the counter as the microwave spun her food and heated it. "If she's alone…"

The cat saw her eyes flicker and his ears perked forward in interest. The girl seemed to stare into nothingness for a long moment.

"Star," the cat said gently and very quietly. The girl looked to him and he took a chance at continuing. "She can help you. She can stop this," the cat tried, drawing closer and checking over his shoulder before he said this.

"Don't be ridiculous. There's nothing she can do," the girl said, though not angrily. Instead she sounded almost sad.

"What are you talking about?" the cat cocked his head to the side. "She's the princess."

"You saw how easily we defeated them, Spike," the girl addressed the cat, the former glint returning to her eyes now. "They're too weak against us."

The microwave having stopped, she pulled out her heated pasta and went to sit with the others in front of the television. She sat in a chair separate from them, setting her drink down on the table as the cat leapt up onto the back of the chair.

"What's the fleabag got to report?" Space asked, giving the cat a disgusted look.

Spike's ears flattened against the black fur of his head, but he did nothing more than look angry. Space and Universe didn't trust the cat, often calling him names, including traitor. The pair was convinced he was against them, which wasn't entirely untrue. He was loyal to only Star.

Since he only glared at them, it was Star who responded.

"He says that Serenity and the others are fighting. She's alone right now," Star said casually.

"What?" Universe snapped. "Then why are you sitting there eating?! Let's go get her!" She leapt to her feet, her long black hair falling into her eyes as she did. She pushed it out of the way. "Honestly, Star, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Star snapped. "And you know what I was thinking? 'Gee, I'm hungry. I'll eat and then go beat the snot out of her.'"

"She could be gone by then!" Universe waved her arms dramatically before pulling Star to her feet after forcing her to set down her food. "Food later, fighting now."

Spike watched as the trio headed out, his fur standing on end. He didn't like this one bit, but didn't know what else he could do to stop it. After a few moments, he leapt off the chair, heading for the open window again.

xxxxxxx

Serena had gone to the arcade to clear her head and just have fun, but even her favourite games weren't amusing her. Instead, she was getting frustrated that they weren't doing what they wanted, and not the kind of ditsy frustration that she usually felt, but more like angered frustration. She was fuming at the fact that her friends would treat her like a kid, which affected her game-play negatively.

As she sat there, glaring at the screen and forcefully pressing buttons and moving the joystick, she couldn't get it off her mind. She knew that at times she did act like a child and that she did need to be treated like one, but when it really mattered, she was strong. She could take care of herself.

'The nerve of those guys,' she thought and then made a frustrated noise as she lost again.

Rather than pressing the restart button for probably the fifth time in ten minutes, she stood up and stormed out of the arcade without even saying a word to Andrew, who she would normally talk up a storm with.

She found herself wandering towards the park and she went to sit down on some swings. A few younger kids ran away, giving her odd looks as they thought her too old to be playing on swings, but she ignored them. As she swung back and forth slightly, keeping her feet on the ground and staring at her shoes, she continued to be lost in her thoughts.

She sat there for what seemed like hours, just swinging back and forth and staring at her shoes. She looked so out of it that it was a wonder that she even reacted to what happened next.

The whip flew forward, wrapping around the top of the chains of the swing that Serena sat on. With a sharp tug, the swing was pulled backwards and she fell off of it into the dirt below. At first only thinking about how that hurt, Serena dusted herself off and noticed the little scrapes on her palms. Then it dawned on her just what had happened and she spun around, seeing the whip release the swing and as the object swung towards her. She caught it and stood up, staring at her attackers.

Her heart began to race as she stared at the Dark Senshi. All three of them stood there, looking mighty amused with themselves and she noticed that there was now no one else in the park, even though she knew people had been there before. It wasn't late enough that they would have all left; it was more like they'd just disappeared.

"What'd you do?" Serena demanded, holding her ground and reaching for her locket. "What happened to the people?"

"I'd be worrying about yourself if I were you," Universe smiled cruelly as Star and Space leapt forward.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

Sailor Moon leapt backwards, and while the sceptre was in her hand and ready for attack, the girl faltered a moment as she looked at Star. When she saw the dagger coming towards her, though, she used her weapon to block it. The blade ground and squealed against the metallic substance of her sceptre and Space threw her backwards. Sailor Moon skid across the dirt, grass and then even the concrete of the pathway that people would use for rollerblading and things like that.

She coughed a bit, waving the dirt away from her face. As Space approached again, she shouted, "Moon Princess Halation!"

The Senshi went flying backwards, having not expected the attack, but Star was quick to take her place. She landed right by Sailor Moon, her long white hair hanging around her form as she crouched down and grabbed the princess by the collar again. She lifted her into the air, and stared at her as her other hand glowed at her side.

"Star Darkness Inferno!" the Senshi said savagely, focusing solely on her victim. Because of this, she was surprised when she received a blow to the side.

The attack went astray as Star was knocked sideways and let go of Sailor Moon. Jupiter stood over the fallen Senshi as Mercury helped her friend up. While Jupiter grinned, clearly pleased with herself, Star wasn't down for long, springing to her feet and quickly returning the hit. She swept Jupiter's legs out from under her and glared down at the Senshi of Thunder.

"Star Darkness Inferno!"

"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!"

The attacks collided, exploding in the air and driving Star back. Jupiter stood to attack again, glancing Mars and Venus fighting the other two out of the corner of her eye, and then stepped forward. Sailor Moon, however, rushed forward and held Jupiter back.

"Stop!" she ordered. "I can handle this!" As Jupiter opened her mouth to protest, Sailor Moon continued. "I'm not a child!" she snapped.

"Are you sure about that?" Star's voice came, standing at a distance from them. She grinned sickly, her hair dancing around her in the breeze. "Come on, then, Serenity. If you think you can fight me off."

"Go help the others," Sailor Moon ordered, facing Star. "I'll take care of Star."

"You're not powerful enough to beat her by yourself!" Jupiter snapped.

"She's right," Mercury agreed. "I can't get readings, but I have a strong feeling about this one. They're powerful, and remember what the fire told us."

Before either of them could say anything more, the whip was flying at them again. Sailor Moon raised her arms to block her face, but the whip wasn't after her. It instead threw Jupiter and Mercury aside and then vanished as Star charged at her again.

"Moon Princess Halation!" Sailor Moon shouted, shaking slightly, but knowing that she had to live up to what she said now.

Star dodged the attack with grace and speed, rocketing towards the blonde before spinning into a kick and knocking her down. This time, the Senshi didn't pick her up, but held her to the ground as she hovered over her. Sailor Moon struggled against her grip, trying to pry her hand away with her own, but failing miserably. She stared terrified up into those grey eyes that had a maniac look in them.

Sailor Moon's eyes flew open when Star's free hand suddenly flew up. She thought that the white haired Senshi was going to punch her, but instead it looked like she caught something. When she brought her arm back down, between her fingers was a rose and Star tossed it aside.

"How brave he is," Star grinned. "A personality fit for a king. Too bad he won't ever be one."

"Stop!" Sailor Moon pleaded, bringing her arms over her face as the darkness encased Star's hands. She closed her eyes, as if that would make the attack go away and thought it worked when she didn't feel the impact that followed the words of the attack.

When she opened her eyes, instead she saw that Star holding her hand back, ready for the attack, but not that hand flying forward. The world seemed to have stopped around them and Star only stared at the princess with wide eyes. Her chest was heaving in panic and fear at what she was about to do.

"I'm sorry."

Sailor Moon's expression fell to shock when she heard these words come from Star's mouth. Her voice seemed softer, gentler, kinder…

"I can't stop it," she continued and Sailor Moon only continued to stare, awestruck by what she was seeing and hearing.

"What can I do?" she asked, finding the breath to speak. She felt Star's grip tighten on her fuku and feared that this was all some diversion, but still, the blow never came.

Star only shook her head and the world seemed to start around them again. Star let the girl go and reeled back, screaming.

All of them stopped and looked over in horror as the girl gripped her head and backed away from Sailor Moon. The Dark Senshi especially looked concerned.

"Star! What happened?!" Universe yelled at her, but received no response.

"Star Darkness Inferno!" the Senshi screamed out, the black returning to her hands, darker and more powerful. When the attack was launched, Sailor Moon tried to back away, not having time to get up.

Tuxedo Mask leapt to her, grabbing her out of the way just in time. The attack flew out across and into the water of the lake instead, causing the water to fly up and then shower down upon them.

Sailor Moon saw that the Senshi was heaving for breath again, but this time it was definitely anger that caused this erratic breathing.

"What happened back there?"

Sailor Moon shook herself mentally, snapping out of her awe by the sound of Tuxedo Mask's voice. She now realized that he'd been able to get her away before the attack hit and still had his arms protectively around her.

"I'm not sure. It was like everything just stopped and she…" she searched for the right word, but couldn't really find it, so she went with, "changed."

"What?" Tuxedo Mask didn't get it. He cocked a brow and looked at her in question, but when he heard Star's boot-steps coming towards them again, he leapt out of the way, pulling Sailor Moon along with him. As he did this, he threw a handful of roses in her direction, hoping to at least distract if they didn't hit. His eyes widened though as they simply caught in black flames and fell to the ground.

"Star Pain!"

The whip was in her hand again and flew forward. This time, it wrapped around Sailor Moon's legs and Star stopped, using both hands to pull hard on the whip. Despite the fact that Tuxedo Mask was holding her, Star still managed to pull the girl free from his grasp and drag her away from him. Star saw the young man chasing after the blonde and leapt forward and into the air, delivering a kick to the jaw before landing in front of Sailor Moon as Tuxedo Mask stumbled back.

Behind her, Sailor Moon groaned, trying to make herself get up, but very disoriented from the fall. She looked around herself with bleary eyes, noticing that her friends were still fighting with the other two Senshi. In fact, it looked like the other Dark Senshi were winning as Mars was bound on the ground by a black ring and it looked like Venus was unconscious near the playground. Mercury and Jupiter were doing their best, but didn't look like they could hold out much longer.

'I have to get up,' she told herself, trying again to push herself to her feet, but this time she felt she was being pushed down. There was a boot across her back and pushing her down.

"Stay there, Serenity," Star said from above.

"Why do you call me that?" Sailor Moon asked, trying to shake her disorientation at least.

"Well, it's your name, right?" Star laughed lightly. "It's very formal, but still your name."

Sailor Moon looked around some more, her head finally regaining some ability to focus. She felt Star turn her over onto her back and Sailor Moon immediately wished she could get away. The Senshi's hands were glowing black again.

"Don't worry," Star said, her voice low and even. "I'll end it quickly."


	3. Chapter 03

**Bands  
**_Chapter 03_

"Universal Binding!"

Star heard and felt the air stir as the dark ring of Universe's attack flew past her and she saw with her peripheral vision as it bound the young man who was trying to charge her. Tuxedo Mask fell to the ground with a thud and began to shout that he was going to kill Star if she so much as hurt a hair on Sailor Moon's head. Star, of course, ignored him.

"Good work, Star," Universe praised, walking up beside the Senshi who still hovered over the cowering blonde. "It's amazing that these girls have lasted _this_ long. We beat them so easily."

Universe was referring to how Space was now standing guard over the four other girls, but those four other girls, who'd been rounded up like cattle, really, couldn't be seen. There was a dark dome around them, which had been created with Space's powers. It was big enough that they could probably stand up, but other than that, there wouldn't be much moving room. What was worse was that if they were in there for long enough, it could drive them mad.

"Well, Star?" Universe asked after a moment of silence between them all, for even Tuxedo Mask had resolved to growling and glaring in their direction. "What are you waiting for?" Universe's expression grew dark, worried and irritated. Something wasn't right. The princess should be dead. "Star!" Universe snapped, but the girl wasn't responding. Fed up, Universe pushed Star aside, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Enough!" The enraged Dark Senshi held Sailor Moon to the ground with the end of her staff and glared. "Enough of your magic! I don't know what you're doing, but you stop it!"

"What?" Sailor Moon asked, cringing in fear. 'Magic?' she glanced over at Star, or tried to.

"No!" Universe snapped, hitting the side of her face hard with her staff. "Eyes on me, girl."

'I must be affecting Star somehow,' Sailor Moon thought, having caught a glimpse of the other Senshi sitting where she'd fallen. She'd looked dazed, as if she'd drawn into herself. Sailor Moon wanted to glance at Star again, but didn't dare it. She was surprised when Universe seemed to address someone else, though.

"Fleabag! See what's wrong with her!"

For a moment, she thought that Universe was talking to Luna or Artemis, but the voice that responded didn't match either of those that belonged to the guardians she knew. At first it only hissed, but then she heard it start talking.

"Star," Spike said, leaning his front paws on her legs as he looked up at her. His tail twitched nervously as his ears flattened against his head because as much as he wanted to tell her to fight the darkness that he knew she was battling with, he feared how Universe and Space would react. Instead, he silently willed her to fight it. To break free from their grasp.

Sailor Moon breathed nervously, wondering why Universe wasn't killing her herself. If they were so intent on killing her, why did it seem that they only wanted Star to do it? Why?

"What's wrong with her, Fleabag?" Universe snapped, not moving her eyes from Sailor Moon. Her dark gaze studied the girl's every movement of the muscle, every twitch, every flinch, to see if there was any way she could be using some healing ability on Star. So far, she saw nothing but the fear on her face, but she couldn't be sure. She had to keep watching.

The cat growled as he responded, "I don't know, Universe. Why don't you come and find out for yourself?!"

"One more remark like that and I'll skin you! No matter what Star says!" Universe bit back, glancing only for a fraction of a second at Spike.

"Universe, what's taking so long?" Space called from a distance, sounding bored.

"Shut up!" Universe was clearly not in the mood for this anymore. "We have a setback. Come deal with Serenity."

Space obeyed, jogging over and glancing at Star as she did. "What happened?" she asked curiously, waving a hand in front of her face slightly. Still no response. She stood straight walked over to where Sailor Moon still lay on the ground. Even as Universe moved away, the blonde didn't try and get up, especially when Space's dagger was drawn again.

"I don't know," Universe shook her head, pushing Spike aside the same way that she'd pushed Star aside earlier. Universe closed her eyes, hearing a dull roar within her mind and concentrating on it. 'Bring Star back to us,' she beckoned to it. 'We need her to fight.'

Universe felt a cold darkness around her, even though this couldn't be seen by the others. All other sounds were blocked out now, and she felt a chill run across her skin as she crouched there. She reached out her gloved hand, placing it on the band around Star's neck and concentrating even more. The darkness, she felt, flowed towards the other girl, but it almost felt as if she was being resisted.

"Damn you, Essa," Universe growled, knowing exactly what was happening. "Serenity must have reached you somehow," she continued, mumbling quietly, but Spike heard her just the same and his ears perked.

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

The golden chain wrapped around Space's form and before the Senshi even had time to react, she was being pulled backwards and away from Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon watched in awe, leaning up on her elbows slightly, but when she saw Universe's outraged expression, she didn't move anymore than that. The Dark Senshi seemed to forget Star a moment and turned towards the now freed Senshi.

"Space! What the hell is this?! Can't you do anything?!" Universe figured that the dome around them had weakened when Space stepped away from it. She had trusted the Space could handle it, but obviously not.

Space didn't respond, struggling against the chains that were wrapped tightly around her. She'd dropped her dagger on the ground and she couldn't reach it as she was. Universe cursed and went to help Space free, in which time, Sailor Moon went to Tuxedo Mask.

"Are you all right?" he asked her as she began to work on the binding around him.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied, wondering how she was going to get him free. The attacks began behind her again, but she knew her friends would be fine without her for a minute or two more. She had to will her hands not to shake though, but even still they shook ever so slightly.

"Don't worry about me," he said as she helped him sit up. He looked her over, but while she was dirty and some bruising was starting to show, she didn't look severely injured. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Sailor Moon shook her head, growing very frustrated with the binding. It was very tight and very strong. She could only just fit her fingers behind and around it, but she didn't have anywhere near the strength to beat it.

"You're having an effect on her."

The couple jumped, their eyes flying to the cat. His black and white form stood by them, but he was very obviously keeping Star in his sights. It didn't look like she was moving though.

"Right now it's like she's in a dead-lock, fighting within herself," the cat explained to the startled pair. "I don't know if she's strong enough to beat it alone, though."

"Who are you?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"Is that really important right now?" the cat growled, his green eyes narrowing. "We have to hurry before Universe and Space defeat your friends. And they _will_ defeat your friends. I don't have a doubt in my mind about that." The cat looked to what Sailor Moon was doing and nudged her aside. Drawing his paw back, Spike swung with his claws at the binding, hearing it crack before it broke off.

"How did you…" Tuxedo Mask asked, awed and confused.

"I don't know and it doesn't matter," Spike said, looking to Star again before turning to look at them with pleading eyes. "Just help her. Please."

Sailor Moon was shocked by the look in his eyes, expecting the cat to be more evil like the others, but when she thought about how Universe had called him a fleabag, she thought that they probably weren't friends at all. She could tell, however, that he was desperately loyal to Star. She nodded her head.

"We'll help," Sailor Moon said and saw the cat's ears perk.

"What?" Tuxedo Mask demanded. "She tried to kill you. These aren't our regular enemies! Why should we help them?"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Sailor Moon snapped, appalled and glaring at him.

Tuxedo Mask had the grace to look ashamed and looked away from her and then to the other Senshi. "All right," he conceded. "You go help the others and I'll help her."

Sailor Moon smiled gently. "Right."

As Sailor Moon ran off to help her friends, he stood and walked over to Star and then crouched before her. He looked the girl over, but wasn't sure what his limited powers could do to help. His eyes came to rest on the band around her neck, though and he looked over at the other two Dark Senshi. Only Space had a band around her neck, too.

"It's how they're controlled," the cat supplied, seeing the future king's line of vision. "Universe can fuel them with power or even control their actions through it. Mostly she just fuels them with darkness."

"How do we get it off?" Tuxedo Mask looked to the black and white cat, who only flattened his ears back on his head again.

"Don't you think I would have gotten it off long ago if I knew?" he growled.

"I don't know what to think, to tell you the truth," Tuxedo Mask confessed. "This is all so strange."

Spike relaxed a bit, sitting down by the future king's side, but allowing his tail to still swish. "This is more than just strange, Endymion. It's filled with complete darkness. Pure evil and even though every enemy tells you this, I have a feeling that it's actually true this time. You've never faced anything like the Dark Senshi before. Nothing."

Tuxedo Mask thought that he could agree with that, especially as he saw the blank expression in this girl's eyes. She looked just like any other teenager, excepting her uniform. She didn't look like some evil monster that had been infused with darkness. She didn't look like some ghoul that was created from the minds of evil. Just a girl likely no older than Serena and her friends.

"Star," Spike called out gently again. "Endymion is here to help you." He wondered if this might help the situation any, but unfortunately it only seemed to make it worse. Spike's fur stood on end as he suddenly saw the darkness pass over the Senshi's eyes. "Look out!"

Both he and Tuxedo Mask leapt backwards as Star suddenly struck out at them with a fist. She missed them by a long shot, but had they not moved, she probably would have hit them both. The young man looked from the suddenly mobile Senshi to the cat that stood at his side.

"What happened now?" he asked, returning his dark blue eyes to Star as she rose now.

"I have no idea. But be ready to attack," Spike instructed, shifting from foot to foot nervously. A low, guttural growl-yowl mix could be heard gathering within him.

Tuxedo Mask's signature roses were suddenly flying forward once Star made her move. She charged forward, though much slower than before and the flowers caught in dark flame. Considering how slow she was moving compared to earlier, Tuxedo Mask took a chance at holding his ground for the moment and throwing more roses. The same result only occurred.

"You're going to have to do something besides that!" Spike instructed, though he felt it was obvious. "Unless you catch her off guard, the same thing is going to keep happening."

Tuxedo Mask's baton was suddenly in his hand and he held it, ready for attack. Star, however, seemed to be wanting none of this and her whip formed in her hand and she called out.

"Star Pain!"

The whip connected, knocking Tuxedo Mask to the ground. Winded, he lay there for a moment and Spike made a snap decision that he didn't much like. The cat ran forward, charging at his own Senshi. He didn't expect to do much damage, but to serve as a distraction would be useful. Sure enough, as Spike leapt into the air at the girl, she knocked him aside with her arm, not even bothering to use her weapon against him. The cat flew through the air, but landed on his feet, charging again.

"Stop it!" Star shouted angrily at him. "Spike that's enough!"

Spike continued to charge though, leaping into the air. His claws unsheathed, he hoped maybe to grab hold of her, but once again she hit him aside. This time, he landed on his feet, but much harder, which caused him to stagger and fall.

Star's attention snapped away from the cat when she saw Tuxedo Mask move. Unfortunately for her, he moved too quickly for her to do anything as he leapt into the air over her and threw a rose. Caught off guard, just as Spike said would be needed, the rose hit its target, sticking into the band around her neck after passing through her hair. Like she had earlier, she cried out, clearly in distress and possibly pain.

Tuxedo Mask landed, watching her carefully as did Spike. The pair of males watched as she wreathed, reaching around to try and get the rose off as electricity sparked from it. For a moment, Spike worried that she would be electrocuted, but when she managed to pull it off, he worried that she would attack them again.

Star looked like she was going to attack as she turned viciously towards them, but she stopped suddenly and a silver light cracked through the band around her neck before the material seemed to melt away. With it gone, the fuku also disappeared, disintegrating in the breeze and revealing what was indeed just a young girl, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top with her long white hair draped around her. For a moment, she looked dazed, perhaps dizzy, and then she pitched forward.

Spike was glad when Tuxedo Mask rushed forward to catch her, because he certainly couldn't do it himself. Spike ran over, nudging Tuxedo Mask's arms aside to see the girl, but she appeared to be unconscious. Even if he said something to her, he doubted that she'd hear him. She looked peaceful though.

"Is it done, then?" Tuxedo Mask asked, looking from the girl to the cat.

"For her, I think everything is fine now," Spike said hopefully, but looked to the others. "There's still them to deal with, though."

As if on a cue, they looked over, seeing the girl who was Star in Tuxedo Mask's arms. Universe and Space both grew wide-eyed and Universe seemed to order Space to go check it out, since the Senshi nodded and came charging forward. This didn't go unchallenged though as both Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars took off after her. Mars' celestial fire missed her moving target, so instead of attacking, they concentrated on getting ahead of her. With luck, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars managed to make it there first, standing protectively in front of the three others. Space came to a halt.

"She's not yours," Space said angrily and a lot like a child.

"She's not yours either!" Sailor Moon snapped.

Space looked like she was going to say something, but she decided against it. As Space did this, Mars glanced over her shoulder, getting an eerie feeling, but deciding to leave it alone for now. Something still wasn't right, she could sense it, but for now she had to deal with Space.

"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

xxxxxx

A silvery glow flared against her closed eyelids, stirring the girl and causing her to awaken. The white-haired girl, dazed, sat up slowly, looking around and yet seeing no one. It was dark all around her, except for that silver light, and discovering that this light came from above her, she looked up. At first, it looked to be nothing more that some annoyingly bright light, but when it starting descending towards her, she feared it might be an attack.

The girl got up as quickly as she could, moving away from the light and yet not taking her eyes off of it. The light didn't come any closer to her, hovering as eye level several feet away and she found she could only stare at it, wondering what it was and what it was doing. She didn't dare draw any closer to investigate, since she didn't know what consequences could come with that.

"It's for you," a soft voice told her.

The girl whipped around, but saw no one there. Only the continuing darkness was around her and that silver light, but she knew she wasn't imagining things. It was like she could just sense some being there with her, but her grey eyes couldn't find that being.

"Who's there?" she called out finally, her eyes still trying to find a source for the voice.

"Don't be afraid, Essa," the voice said and the girl looked in the direction it came from immediately, surprised to actually see something now.

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Could this woman really be there? No, it couldn't be…

"Queen Serenity," Essa breathed, still not entirely believing. It could be a trap, a trick… she felt confused. She'd never seen the queen before, but somehow it was like she just knew.

"That's right, child," the queen smiled; gentle, like her daughter's. This wasn't Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo, but of the Silver Millennium, which was what confused the girl. Even in spirit, she didn't think it was possible for her to come _here_…

"But… no. It can't be," Essa shook her head firmly. 'This is some trap that the darkness has set for me. Something to keep me evil for good.'

"Take this," the queen held out her hands and for the first time, Essa noticed that the silver light had disappeared. It seemed that it had turned into a pendant; a silver star on a silver chain. "It will allow you to transform."

"No!" Essa recoiled sharply, even though she'd been leaning forward to see what it was. "I won't!" She was almost certain now that it was a trap. Yet, she didn't really feel like she was in danger, but her mind was screaming for her to just run away and keep running.

"Please. You _must_ use it to protect my daughter," the queen continued, her expression falling slightly. "They got rid of your evil side, so now with this you will be able to do good."

"But I'm not a Senshi," Essa shook her head, eyeing the form of the queen suspiciously. "I don't belong to the Silver Millennium or the future or _anything_ like that."

"When you obtained your dark powers," the queen explained, her hands still outstretched and offering the pendant, "you became a Senshi. Now it is up to you to use those powers for good. Help my daughter and her friends."

Essa thought on Queen Serenity's words for the first time. If it were just the darkness trying to play a trick on her, wouldn't it be telling her to do the opposite? Wouldn't it be telling her to kill Princess Serenity? Torn, the girl looked to the pendant again, stepping forward a little this time to get a better look at it. The queen seemed to smile as she got closer and nodded encouragement.

When Essa stood directly before the queen's outstretched hands, she looked up to that kind, smiling face. Maybe it really was the spirit of the queen trying to help her. Maybe this was her moment to be truly saved…

She still didn't take the pendant, continuing to mull over it silently, wishing Spike were there to help her make the decision. She knew though that while she was here within her mind, the others were out there fighting. Out there fighting the Dark Senshi.

"They can't win…" Essa thought aloud with sadness laced in her tone as her eyes remained fixated on the pendant.

"Which is why they need your help, child," the queen nodded in agreement. "The Dark Senshi are much more powerful. They can't do this alone."

Thinking about this, Essa made her decision; she reached out, taking the necklace. Silver light flooded around them.


	4. Chapter 04

**Bands  
**_Chapter 04_

The silver light wasn't only within Essa's mind, for outside everything came to a stop as well. The light had caught all their attention, even though it wasn't as bright as Essa was seeing it. To them it was only seen as a bright glow around her body.

Tuxedo Mask looked to Spike, alarmed, but the cat only wore the same expression on his feline face. The others looked just as perplexed, even Universe and Space, whose brows were furrowed in angered questioning.

Spike was the first and maybe the only to notice the thin chain of light suddenly around the girl's neck like a necklace. Before he could question it or get a close look, her eyes opened and she rose to her feet as the others continued to stare on in awe.

"What's happening?" Tuxedo Mask found himself asking aloud, his own voice sounding distant.

As if in answer, the girl reached, taking the thin necklace of light that Spike had seen and she pulled it from her neck. As she did, she called out, "Star Power!"

Now it was on the outside world too that the light intensified, but then it began to wrap around her form instead of just spread endlessly as it had within her mind. With what felt almost like a jolt of electricity, the bodice of the fuku formed around her torso, followed by a grey scarf that flared out from the deep neckline and around her shoulders. Around her legs, the light formed into grey thigh-high boots and the grey gloves that appeared from the light around her arms extended to her upper arms. Cool metal touched her forehead, the tarnished, silver tiara turning polished a brilliant with a small, dark grey star in the middle. The grey skirt cascaded down her hips, completing the bow-less ensemble.

Standing there a fraction of a second after the transformation had begun was Sailor Star, though in a new form and seemingly without the darkness that had touched her before. Her grey eyes saw the dumbstruck look on the others' faces, including those of her former friends and teammates, but she didn't grin in satisfaction. Instead, she tried to decide whether she felt any better in this form than she had in the other.

"Well, well, well, Star," Universe's voice broke through her reverie and she snapped to attention, watching her carefully. "I'm not even going to ask what happened, but do you really think it'll make a difference?"

"Yes," Star found herself saying, even though her mind was in doubt. "It will."

At this, Universe only laughed, followed by Space, who now stood in front of Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon, staring past them at Star. Universe was the one who spoke again.

"Star, just because you've got shiny new clothes and all that doesn't mean anything. You'll always be one of us." Universe saw the other's hand go absently to her neck. "Yes, even without the band."

"Obvious she's not one of you anymore!" Sailor Moon shouted. Inside she felt a happiness and yet she was still worried, but that could easily be attributed to the Dark Senshi that were still standing around.

"Yeah! How blind are you?" Venus agreed.

"What do you know?" Universe snapped, though still with laughter in her voice. "Just because something looks good doesn't mean that it is."

Star stood there, wondering if what Universe said was true. She bit her lip in sudden worry and already beginning to regret this decision a little. What if she'd made the wrong choice? Maybe she shouldn't have taken the pendant…

"Don't just stand there, Star," Universe suddenly said, charging at Star now as Space jumped out of the way. "Let's see what those powers of yours can do! Universal Explosion!"

Star pushed through Mars and Sailor Moon, readying to block the attack that would surely blow those two away. Now the question was whether it would blow her away, too.

"Star Shower Inferno!"

Bright silver dagger-like shapes emitted from her hands and drove through Universe's attack, managing to destroy it in the process. Universe only just managed to jump out of the way, and when she landed, she looked at the damage that had been done to a park bench behind her.

"Very nice, Star," Universe grinned sickly, looking away from the splinters that remained of the bench and to Star. "Your powers seem to pack quite a punch."

Sailor Moon and Mars looked to Star with shock. Mars' gaze had a little more scrutiny than Sailor Moon's, but she was still grateful for the protection that had just been offered. What she didn't like was the destruction that the powers had caused. Sure, it was only a park bench, but what if it had been a person? She didn't care to think of what would happen then.

Star herself was shocked at the strength that her powers seemed to have. She'd expected to deflect Universe's attack, not drive right through it. Was she always this powerful?

"Hey Star!"

The girl, having not been paying attention to the fight before her, was knocked backwards as Space kicked her in the stomach. Star took down any who were behind her as she was flung backwards as well, causing a pile up of Tuxedo Mask, the two other Senshi and herself. Shaking herself and trying to regain lost breath, she got up slowly, staring over at Space, who only looked pleased with herself. For a moment though, Space didn't look like she was pleased at some evil accomplishment that she'd just achieved, but just pleased, or maybe amused.

Confused, Star wondered if she was really seeing this, especially as Space's form turned to that of a regular girl. A young girl with short hair that had been dyed a light brown and with laughing, dark, but kind, eyes. Instead of looking pleased that she'd just knocked her friend over, she instead looked amused at a friend's clumsiness, as if she'd simply fallen. Star's brow furrowed at seeing this.

"Star."

Spike's voice shattered this vision and Star realized that she'd been seeing the past. Who she had just seen wasn't Space. It was Kin. It was like her memory of how her friend used to be played out before her eyes, but as she looked now, she saw that Space now looked confused at why Star would stare at her like that.

"You have to keep focused. Please," Spike said, nudging her leg to get her attention again. He was worried that her focus kept wandering, especially because he knew she wasn't just some space case that got distracted easily. No, something was going on within her mind.

"I know, Spike. But it's hard," Star physically shook herself again, even placing a hand to her head, as if to try and grab and extract the distracting visions before her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Sailor Moon asked, placing a hand gently on Star's raised arm.

"I have to be," Star almost whispered this, but Sailor Moon nodded in understanding.

"We can do this," she said with gentle confidence.

"We don't have a choice," Mars stood on Star's other side. The fire Senshi glanced at the other out of the corner of her eye, watching her closely. Universe's next words would mirror her thoughts.

"I don't know what's up with you, Star," Universe said, looking at the girl skeptically, "but you better get your act together."

Star shrunk a little in shame, but pushed those thoughts aside. She had to focus on protecting the others and helping her friends, which wasn't easy since she also had to stop the image of the girl Universe used to be from coming to her mind. In the end, she was successful and launched herself forward.

"Star Pain Be Gone!" she shouted, her whip appearing and flying forward.

Space and Universe made to dodge, but when the whip hit the ground where they had been, it only bounced to where they now were leaping backwards. The pair were hit with the weapon and fell to the ground.

"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Space Black Hole Engulf!"

The attacks that Mercury and Jupiter had sent their way vanished, absorbed in the black hole of Space's attack. The pair stood again, looking around themselves as they were now surrounded by all the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask as well.

"What do we do?" Space muttered to Universe as they stood back-to-back and assessed the situation.

"Don't panic," Universe snapped. "They're no threat to us."

"It's not _them _I'm worried about," Space's eyes weren't even on the other Senshi. "It's _her_." They were on Star.

Universe nodded in understanding, her brown eyes turning to Star as well. The grey-clad Senshi looked odd among the others, but Universe didn't know what to do about her right now. She knew that they had to get her back, but it was a question of how.

"Give up, nega-slime!" Jupiter called out. "You can't win against all of us."

"We can help you," Sailor Moon said gently, but her voice still projected. "You don't have to do this."

"Yeah," Venus agreed. "If you just let us help you."

The Dark Senshi didn't respond to any of their words, not even in body language. It almost seemed like they were ignoring the Senshi or that they didn't hear them at all.

"Please, guys," Star spoke in a small voice, but it still carried to them. "Stop this." Distress laced her tone as she kept seeing their images flicker back and forth between the people they were before and the Senshi they were now. She had to get them back.

This was the voice they reacted to as Universe shook her head.

"No, Star," Universe sounded exasperated. "This is far from over. Universal Explosion!"

"Look out!" Star shouted to Venus, Mercury and Jupiter who were in direct line of the attack. The three of them barely managed to jump out of the way, and were still thrown by the force of the attack. Star and the others ran forward to help them, and Star saw Universe and Space fleeing through the dust.

"They're gone!" Mars shouted in annoyance as the dust settled around them.

"They'll be back," Star said, her expression worried as she looked down at Spike, who nodded in agreement.

He added, "It's only a matter of time."

xxxxxxx

Days had passed and the Dark Senshi still hadn't returned. Oddly, Essa had found herself several times at meetings with the other Senshi, Tuxedo Mask and the guardians, where they all sat around a plate of cookies and tried to figure out what was going on. She felt out of place and small, like a child who was intruding on some adult conversation. She'd told herself many times in thought, _'I shouldn't be here.'_

And yet she was there, telling them what she knew and what she thought the Dark Senshi would do next. She also told that she knew where they Dark Senshi were, but none of them wanted to just charge in without a plan.

Despite the fact that she felt like she wasn't a lot of help, the others kept firing questions her way and she was forced to try and answer them. It was quite distressing.

She'd just come from one such meeting and found herself heading to the park where the attack had been only days before. Spike trotted along at her side, remaining respectfully silent as he sensed her tension. He knew that this was hard on her, though he was happy that she'd broken free from her dark powers.

He ignored any glances he got from passing people, who he knew were wondering what a cat was doing following a girl like a dog would. No one really made comment though.

Essa stopped when they came to the place where her attack had veered out and exploded in the water. She stepped off the path so that she wouldn't be blocking others and walked out onto the little dock that was there, looking out and seeing a couple in a boat and a few children trying to skip rocks on the other side.

"It's a lot livelier," Essa comment, looking down as Spike nodded. "I don't know what happened, but I know they made the people disappear the other day."

Essa crouched and then sat on the edge of the dock, not letting her feet dangle in the water, but sitting cross-legged and staring around her. Her long hair was tied back, but her bangs still shifted with the slight breeze before her eyes and she absently brushed them away. Spike came and sat, placing his front paws on her leg, making sure that they were on the fabric of her shorts.

"I've never understood how the Dark Senshi's powers work," Spike said quietly, kneading slighting as she scratched behind one ear. "I'm not even certain how Serenity and Endymion broke the power."

"They're powerful people," Essa said, just as quietly, lest she look like she was talking to herself. Her mouth barely moved, but the cat still heard her clearly. "But I don't know if they'll be powerful enough."

"I know what you mean," Spike nodded, knowing from Essa's recount of what had happened when she passed out that that was why she accepted the Senshi powers from Queen Serenity, or whoever it was.

"And that's why I'm going to help them," Essa said, knowing too that part of her just wanted to get her friends back.

Her eyes fell to the water as an image within it caught her peripheral vision. She stopped scratching Spike between the ears and leaned forward a little to get a better look, and though the cat followed her exact gaze, he could see nothing. He looked back to her, but didn't say a word, letting the vision play out before her eyes. No, not a vision, the memory.

She knew that no one was standing behind her because Spike would have alerted her of that, so the shadow in the water didn't make her look behind to see who was there. It made her focus. What was her memory showing her now?

The shadows formed into four figures, one of which was herself and the other three her family. She even spotted Spike there at their feet, weaving in and out as the people moved about. Her parents were getting food ready as she and her brother set the table for dinner. This was in their apartment and she knew that this was before she'd become a Senshi. She was probably only ten or eleven then, her brother two years older and Spike was only just a kitten. That was one of the reasons that the cat was darting around since he still contained all the excitement and energy of young ones.

Essa grinned and explained what she saw. "Before any of this Senshi stuff," she told Spike as he watched her with his green eyes. "Just a regular day and you're running around. My parents, my brother, you and me, we're all there in our apartment."

Spike thought back, remembering the apartment, but trying to remember that day in particular. He couldn't quite recall it, knowing that that was before he'd be awakened by the Senshi power as a guardian.

"Why do you think you were appointed the guardian of an evil Senshi?" Essa asked suddenly, still staring in the water. She saw as they all sat down to eat, and had to push Spike away, lest he jump on the table.

She was kind of sad, having discovered that her parents no longer lived in that apartment. When she'd gone to see, there was a different name on the plate, and when she knocked on the door, an elderly woman she didn't know had answered.

Because of that, she was currently staying with Serena, who had been more than happy to board her and while the blonde kept suggesting she search for her parents she discovered something else. That something else was a nagging feeling in her chest and she didn't know whether it was from a sense of not being ready to go back to them yet, considering how long she'd been gone, or from a fear that she thought she might never find them again.

"Because you needed my help, I guess," Spike answered after a moment's consideration.

Essa looked away from the water as a stronger wind suddenly caused ripples and destroyed the image. As she looked up, however, she saw something more alarming. An empty boat floating across the water. She looked around, but she didn't see the couple. In fact, she didn't see anyone.

Shadow fell across the water and the dock, as if the sun had suddenly been blocked out by a large cloud. She stood, ignoring Spike's protest and looking around the entire park. Everyone was gone.

"Spike," she said, her voice louder and clearly nervous. "Where did the people go?"

The guardian shook himself, but stopped and looked around, too. Indeed, it seemed everyone had just vanished. He looked up at the sky, which was dark and grey like it was going to rain, and yet no rain came. His fur began to stand on end.

"I don't like this," he said. "We should get the others."

"Yeah," Essa agreed, picking him up in her arms and then beginning to run back towards Serena's house, where she figured the other girl would be by now.

Around her, besides her footsteps, she heard the wind moaning and the swings' chains jingling in that wind. The leaves on the trees rustled around her and all this only added to how eerie it was. She half-wished that she had a communicator like the others so that she could just call them that way, because she certainly didn't have a cell phone either. Her only choice was to keep running.

When she reached the house, she ran inside and called out for Serena, figuring her parents would be out or at work. Hopefully they hadn't disappeared as well. She set Spike down, and he ran up the stairs to see if the girl and Luna were perhaps up there, but he only found Luna, who he brought down with him and they both ran into the living room.

Serena and Essa stood there before the television, the news report seeming like thunder around them.

"Breaking news. Thick rain clouds have formed over the entire city without any warning. Meteorologist Sakamoto-san has more," the news anchor Hiroaki Kurusu, said.

The image on the screen went to a man who stood outside in the street. Essa didn't like what she saw – or rather what she didn't see – around him.

"Yes, thank you, Kurusu-san," Akio Sakamoto said, the wind blowing his light jacket around. "With this cloud-cover, the temperature has dropped like a rock and the wind doesn't help it any. Not only that, but it seems that everyone has fled the outdoors. As you can see behind me, no one is out in the street. Maybe it's because of this odd weather, but when I went to some doors to ask, no one answered."

"This isn't normal," Luna said, startling Serena a bit since she hadn't realized the cat was there.

"No. The people in the park disappeared, too," Essa agreed. "My bets are on Space and Universe."

"Mine, too," Spike nodded.

"We should get the others," Serena said as she pulled out her communicator. Her brow furrowed soon after. "It's not working. It won't even turn on."

"Let me see that," Luna demanded and Serena put it on the floor, where the cat pushed at the buttons with her paws. "She's right. It's not working." Serena looked angry that Luna had doubted her, but the cat ignored that for now. "Let's go. We'll have to get there on foot."

"What about the phones?" Essa asked, to which Serena picked up the phone and shook her head, setting it back down.

Without saying anything further, the four headed out of the house and ran towards the shrine. They figured that everyone would know to meet up there, so that's where they headed. Or at least they tried to head there. When a violent shaking began around them, they were forced to stop.

"What's going on?!" Serena asked, grabbing onto a lamppost that was nearby. Even with this support, she was slipping to the ground.

Essa tried to hold her footing without hanging onto anything, but only ended up falling on her rear. She sat on the ground, looking around as Spike shakily made his way over to her. The shaking subsided a bit, but then began again a second later, this time stronger.

"I don't like this," Essa said. "This feels like an attack." And she knew just whose attack it felt like. It was a second later that this was confirmed as a voice rang through the air, sounding very near now.

"Universal Explosion!"


	5. Chapter 05

**Bands  
**_Chapter 05_

Essa threw herself over Spike, shielding him and having only her back face out as the debris flew into the air. She heard Serena scream and as the pieces of the road and sidewalk came crashing down around her. She felt lucky that only small pieces hit her, though with the next words she heard, she wondered if it was just luck.

"We don't want to kill you, Essa," Universe's voice, sounding almost gentle, came from behind and Essa spun around, letting Spike go. The cat hissed and growled at Space and Universe. "And I always knew you would be trouble," she told Spike. "But as I was saying, we don't want to kill you. We just want you to come back."

"Come back?" Essa asked, her voice darkening. "Never."

She felt mixed emotions as she hated these Senshi but she also knew that somewhere within them were her friends. She wondered which emotion she should be focusing on. The hate or the compassion she felt for her friends?

"Oh, you will come back, even if I have to force you," Universe continued, still staring down at her.

"Back away!" Serena ordered. "Leave her alone!"

Universe looked terribly un-amused and glanced over at Space. "Take care of our good friend here. I've got Serenity."

"Of course," Space nodded, already knowing what was expected of her. It had taken them a while, but she and Universe had figured out a way that might work in bringing Star back to them. Now it was only a matter of trying it out. "You ready for this, Essa?"

"Spike, go find the others," Essa told him and he darted off before anyone could protest or prevent him from doing so. Essa stood as he went, her hand clasping the silver chain around her neck and pulling the chain. "Star Power!"

As soon as the transformation was complete, she and Space engaged in battle. Space wasn't about to stand around and wait for Star to get ready. She needed to get her now.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

And with that, Sailor Moon and Universe engaged in battle as well, but Star had little time to pay attention to the princess. Even though she had little time, she took that little time, pushing Space away and off balance before running to leap in between Sailor Moon and Universe. Unfortunately, Space still had some footing.

"Space Black Hole Engulf!"

Seconds later, Star felt the darkness envelope her and the world around her disappeared. Instantly she knew that she was trapped within the depths of her mind like before when the band had been around her neck. She stopped dead in her tracks, a sudden fear gripping her tightly. It felt like a compression on her chest and she looked around, trying to find some way out, maybe even trying to find the queen again. She had never wanted to come back here, and yet here she was. So this was their plan.

"Star…"

She jumped at the sudden voice. A voice that was familiar and yet not, but she knew one thing for sure. The voice was very badly distorted and it sounded like a hybrid between male and female. She couldn't tell which it was, feeling a gut instinct that said it was neither and yet both. Confused she shook herself, looking for the source.

"Who's there?" she called out, trying to stop her voice from quivering. Her body shaking was enough by itself, she didn't need to lose control of her voice, too. She tried to calm herself down, but this time, something told her to be desperately afraid.

xxxxxxx

"Star!" Sailor Moon shouted as the blackness engulfed the other Senshi. Unfortunately, she didn't have any chance to try and break the dome; both of the Dark Senshi were upon her now.

"Don't worry about her, Serenity," Space said, joining Universe now, her dagger drawn. "She'll be back soon."

"Stop it!" Sailor Moon ordered, fear and dismay cracking through her voice. She realized now that since Star wasn't able to help her fight that these two might try to kill her themselves. Before she figured they wanted Star to do it, but without Star would they just stop? She didn't think so.

She backed up, her back connecting with a wall of a nearby building and she looked around in panic. There was no one else around. Luna had gone off like Spike to try and find the others, no one was in the streets, her friends were somewhere else. Her eyes pricked with tears and she tried to run one way, only to see Universe there, and turning to the other she knew that Space would be there. She was trapped.

'Star, please help me,' Sailor Moon though, thinking that the girl would be her only hope at this point. She felt guilty since she guessed that Star needed help, too, but with her life being threatened, Sailor Moon didn't know what to do and her thoughts were jumbled, seeming to focus on her own well being.

"Say good night, Serenity," Universe nodded to Space, who pointed her blade at the blonde, "and make sure you mean it. 'Cause this is going to be your last time saying it."

"No!"

xxxxxxx

"I know this voice…" Star thought suddenly, bringing her arms away from her head and ears. She'd been trying to block it out, but suddenly it dawned on her what this voice was. "The voice I heard when I became a Senshi…"

Then she hadn't seen any source for it, so she knew that now she shouldn't expect the source of the voice to suddenly show up.

"Star…"

The voice kept whispering her Senshi name over and over again and that was all it was saying. Nothing more, nothing less. It was going to drive her mad, and she didn't doubt that that was exactly what Universe and Space wanted to happen. She figured that at this point, they were going to do anything to get her back.

"Star…"

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, her voice cracking as it reached its high notes. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

But the voice didn't shut up. "Star…"

She felt tears glass over her own eyes, but she rubbed them, not allowing them to fall. She knelt on the ground, before simply collapsing into a laying position. The girl felt so helpless and weak, like there was nothing she could do to save herself and nothing anyone else could do to save her. She wanted to sob and cry like a child, but prevented herself from doing so. Holding this all in, however, was just breaking her down even more.

"Please, stop…" she whimpered. "Somebody make it stop…"

Suddenly, and only for a brief second, she felt an intense sadness. A sickening sadness and overwhelming guilt, but before she could figure out why, the feeling had passed. It startled her and made her feel cold and she drew in upon herself.

"What was that?" she muttered, her lowered eyelashes feeling wet against her cheeks. "Maybe I don't want to know."

Her thoughts suddenly turned, thinking that if maybe she just closed all this off that it would go away. Just forget it all happened and everything would be all right. Or maybe she should just give in to it. Let the power take her and do what it wanted, leaving her oblivious to everything. That would be better…

At least she thought so until that intense sorrow and guilt gripped her again. This time she got a sense that she'd done that before, let the power take over and things turned out horribly. She opened her eyes, seeing her hands and she screamed, sitting bolt upright. Her gloves were red with blood.

Panicked, she tried to rub it off, but it wouldn't leave, at least not with her rubbing. When she stopped, the blood vanished. She wondered that that might be a glimpse of the future. Would she actually kill Serenity?

Lowering her hands into her lap, she found herself looking around again, but all she saw was darkness and it was a darkness that her eyes wouldn't adjust to. Something told her, however, that there was nothing to see there anyway so it didn't matter. But she shivered, also knowing that this darkness was very dangerous.

"I have to escape," she thought aloud, thinking of the blood she saw on her hands. If it was a foreshadowing of what was to happen, she had to stop it. She couldn't allow herself to kill anyone. Just couldn't.

She forced herself to her feet, her legs still shaky and feeling weak now, too. Her entire body felt heavy and weighted, as if burdened by some large pack or something.

"Have to escape," she told herself again when her body just wanted to collapse. "Can't kill…"

"Star…"

The voice had never vanished, but now she heard it again and realized that she'd managed to block it out. Or else she'd simply gotten used to it and stopped paying attention.

"No," she growled at it. "I'm getting out of here."

"Star." It sounded angrier this time, like it was trying to hold her in place.

"No!" she snapped this time. "Star Shower Inferno!"

Silver light flashed around her again, this time coming from within herself rather than a pendant. This time, it felt cold, like ice, but she also noticed that it was dispelling the darkness. It wasn't enough though, so she called out again, even louder and even stronger.

"STAR SHOWER INFERNO!"

xxxxxxx

Sailor Moon whimpered as Space pressed the blade against her skin again, the cold metal somehow seeming to burn. Her heart was pounding in her ears, in fact being the only thing that she could hear. She closed her eyes, knowing there was nothing she could do.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

Sailor Moon felt the attack push Universe and Space aside like a wave taking them down and felt lucky that the blade hadn't cut her across the throat. Once they were out of the way, she sunk down, feeling like she wanted nothing more than to pass out and instantly there was someone at her side. She looked over and smiled weakly at Tuxedo Mask; she hadn't even really fought and yet she felt so drained.

"You're all right?" he asked as the other girls rushed past towards the Dark Senshi. Spike was suddenly beside them as well.

"Where is Essa?" he demanded, not seeing her anywhere. He saw that dark dome and his heart sank, but he hoped that she wasn't in there, so he nearly gave a cat-like scream when Sailor Moon pointed towards that dome. "Help her!" When neither Sailor Moon nor Tuxedo Mask immediately jumped to action, he shouted, "Damn you! Help her now!"

Spike shook with anger as they only continued to sit there with fear in their eyes. He glanced over and saw that the others were too preoccupied with trying to fight off Space and Universe to be of much help. Turning, he ran towards the dome, only to be blasted backwards as it cracked and burst. He slumped as he hit the wall, the last thing he saw being the silver light that erupted from the dome.

Star gasped for breath as the dome crumbled around her; it was as if she'd just run a race. She looked around and saw the others fighting, but she also saw Sailor Moon being helped up now by Tuxedo Mask.

"Star Shower Inferno!" she shouted, directing her attack at Space and Universe.

Being preoccupied as they were, they didn't have a chance to dodge the attack, and though the other Senshi weren't the targets, they were hit with its force. They flew backwards while Universe and Space screamed as the attack hit them. Seeing their forms crumple to the ground, Star walked over to them, her pace deadly and she crouched down between them.

"What did you do to Serenity?" she demanded, her voice a growl. She heard the other Senshi stir behind her, but she didn't give them any attention. "Speak!"

Universe only laughed and it was Space that spoke. "We didn't get a chance to do anything to her. We were going to take her out, but…"

"Then why is she like that?" Star pointed viciously over at the couple.

"Because she's weak," Space continued. "You know she didn't even try to help you?"

Star opened her mouth to say something else, but promptly shut it, looking to Space and just daring her to be lying.

"It's true," Space nodded with a sick grin. "She only whimpered and whined. She didn't once think about your safety or that you were suffering."

"That doesn't mat-" Star began, looking away and over at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, but her attention was drawn back.

"Of course it matters, Star," Universe spoke this time. Her voice was low and taunting as she continued, "You wanted her to save you, but look. She can't even do that properly. See why she must die, Star? See? What good will she do the future?"

Star actually thought about this. She couldn't believe she was thinking about it, remembering the blood she'd seen, but at that moment the only thing in her mind was that they'd done nothing to help her. None of them.

"Don't listen to them, Star!" Spike called, having regained consciousness. He was still dazed, but he forced himself to find the strength to speak. "They-"

"And him," Space's voice brought Star's sharp eyes back from the cat. "_He_ didn't do anything, either. Your _guardian_ and he _didn't do anything_."

"I don't believe you," Star knew her own voice didn't sound confident, but she gave it as much conviction as she could. There was just no way that Spike would simply leave her to suffer. No. No. No!

"Then why are your eyes so afraid?" Universe asked, taking this time to sit up now. "My dear friend, why are you shaking if you don't believe us?" She reached out a hand to lay it on Star's shoulder, but the other slapped it away.

"Don't touch me!" Star stood now and backed away, not even caring as the Dark Senshi got up. "Don't touch me. Don't talk to me." She continued to back away, her body shaking in fury, confusion, fear and sadness. She wondered that the darkness might have had something to do with this colossal wave of mixed emotions. "Leave me alone."

"Star, I can-" Universe began, knowing she was treading on dangerous land now, but daring to anyway. She felt as she was now that Star would easily return to them. How wrong she was.

Desperately, her panicked voice called out, "Star Shower Inferno!"

When the silver light vanished, they all saw that Star had, too. Space and Universe brought themselves to their feet again, looking around. They couldn't even sense Star now as they had been able to do all along, so it was strange for them. They didn't think she'd died… just vanished.

"Let's get out of here," Universe muttered, looking around at the other Senshi as they began to get up as well. Like Star, she and Space simply vanished, too.

xxxxxxx

Essa slouched on the table at a café she'd entered. She hadn't known where it was, only wandering in there and sitting down at a table. After being told she'd get kicked out if she didn't order something, she'd ordered some sort of sandwich or another and a drink. She couldn't even remember what she'd ordered and even her taste-buds didn't seem to know. All she knew was that she could afford it with what little money she had.

Her feet had led her here, but she didn't like where her thoughts had led her. Her confused and hurt thoughts had somehow gone off on a tangent, and she wondered even if it wasn't her thoughts at all that had gone off on a tangent but just another memory coming to her. She closed her eyes, laying her head on her arms as she tried to block out memories that she'd almost forgotten.

These memories went back farther than the one she'd had before, and made her wonder how the one she'd seen at the lake even made sense. Had her parents and family only been acting? How could they have been so happy in that memory when in the memories that were flickering through her mind now there was nothing but fighting? Had it all been a show? Had her memories maybe altered the scenario?

Indeed, her parents had bickered a lot, but they tried to hide it from the children. Essa had heard them on several occasions, one of which she overheard the reason why they didn't just divorce. It was for the sake of the children, but the way that Essa saw it, it had only been doing her and her brother damage.

It was one of the reasons she'd agreed to become a Senshi with her two friends. She wanted to get away from all that 'for the sake of the kids' nonsense and just leave. Thinking now, she regretted it deeply, since now she didn't even know where her parents were.

That was about two years ago, when she was twelve. One of the only reasons that the girls hadn't attacked right away was because Sailor Moon and her friends were already fighting an enemy and the Dark Senshi didn't want to get mixed up in it. They were new and even a little afraid. Essa thought about how now they didn't seem to have any fear at all.

"You look like you're having a rough day," a male voice said, startling her greatly.

She sat up sharply and looked over at the young man, maybe only a few years older than herself and shook herself mentally and tried to act normal.

"What was that?" she asked, having not really heard his comment. She'd only heard the voice, but not what it had said.

"I said, you look like you're having a rough day," the young man, a waiter at the café, repeated gently, his expression showing concern now.

Essa chuckled bitterly, "You don't know the half of it." She looked past him, seeing the crowd in the café thinning out; she figured it must be getting late. How long had she been here?

"Care to share?" he asked, leaning against the chair opposite to her, but not sitting down.

"Not really," she mumbled. "You wouldn't believe me anyway."

Essa had expected the guy to leave then, but saw him still standing there out of the corner of her eye. She looked over at him, wondering what he wanted, since him hovering there was making her edgy.

She didn't think this edginess was because he was some evil out to get her. He looked just like any other guy. Short, brown hair, dark eyes and far too tall. Well, he probably wasn't far too tall, but Essa could tell even sitting down that he was quite a bit taller than her. It made her feel short at her five feet, five inches tall.

"Sure you don't want to share?" he finally asked. "You look like you could use a good listener, and I've been told I'm a great listener."

"Positive," Essa mumbled, though she wasn't sure if he heard her, since at the same time, someone else spoke.

"Eikou! Do I have to tell the boss you're socializing when you're supposed to be working?"

Both looked over at the girl who stood behind the counter, looking at him with amused scrutiny. Essa's brow furrowed, wondering what she was thinking.

"And we're closing now, miss. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave," the girl added on, her eyes still smiling and her voice sincere in her apology.

Essa pushed herself to her feet, feeling her body protest at being forced to move. She hadn't exactly been comfortable as she was, but she'd been immobile, which was nice. Now though, she had to move and leave.

"You going to be all right?" the guy – Eikou, apparently – asked, watching as she dragged herself up.

"Fine," Essa assured him, waving it off and heading for the door.

"All right…" he didn't sound convinced, but Essa was glad that he let it go. "Come again," he said before heading to other tables to clean them up.

Essa stepped outside the café, the dark of the sky around her now. She wasn't sure if this was the normal darkness of night or if the thick clouds still hung overhead, too, but she thought that she didn't much care. All she wanted was a good night's sleep.

She turned slightly, looking back at the café and thinking to herself, 'Maybe I will come again.'

And with that, she headed down the streets, feeling perhaps more than a little sorry for herself and wishing that she hadn't been so childish earlier. She really could use Spike's company right now.


	6. Chapter 06

**Bands  
**_Chapter 06_

The first night that Essa stayed at the cheapest motel she could find she had used whatever powers she had to ensure that the guy would let her stay there, the same way that the Dark Senshi did for the apartment they stayed in. She didn't much like the idea, but she wasn't going to not pay for it. She just couldn't pay right now.

The next morning, she had decided that she best get a job; not that this would pay for everything entirely, but when she left (whenever that would be) she would leave the money for the room in the till and no one would know the difference. Well, that wasn't entirely true, because she figured that it would be short, but she didn't know what else she could do.

It was four days later and Essa sat at the little desk in the room reading the newspaper while eating some food she'd snagged from the motel's breakfast area. She sat in fresh clothing, which she still found amazing. Basically, she'd gone back to the apartment where she'd been living with the others and she was lucky enough that they weren't there, so she went in and snagged her stuff. All she really had was clothing, which she had stuffed into a duffle bag and then she'd returned here.

So now she sat in a fresh pair of shorts and a tank top with her hair currently slung over one shoulder. She played with it absently, twining it around her fingers as she ate the bagel and read the want ads in the paper. There were a few places that looked promising, but it wasn't until she came to nearly the end of the ads that she saw one that really struck her. Ripping the ad from the paper, she got up and shoved it in her pocket before thinking that she best bring the others, just in case.

With those plans set, she finished up her breakfast, slipped on her shoes and made sure she had her key-card before she left the room. She walked down the halls, out the building and into the busy street. Glancing up, she didn't like that the sky still looked dark, but she knew that there wasn't much she could do about it. Without really realizing, her hand had gone to her pendant, and when she did notice that her hand was there, she quickly pulled it away and moved along.

It wasn't long after that that Essa found herself heading into the building that she wanted. Respectfully, she waited in line, not really knowing how to go about this since she'd never worked before or even gone to apply for a job for that matter. She'd pulled out the ad she'd torn from the paper and had it in her hand as she wondered if she looked presentable enough and she argued inwardly about this. It wasn't like she had anything fancier anyway.

"Next please," called a female voice.

Essa stepped forward towards the light haired brunette with the smiling eyes and the girl spoke again.

"What can I get you?"

"Actually, I'm here about this," Essa slid the piece of paper forward on the counter a little nervously. Again, she wondered if she was doing this right. She wasn't quite sure why she felt so nervous though, considering everything else she'd faced.

The girl, Mine, according to her nametag, picked up the torn piece of paper with a look of question in her eyes, but when she saw what it was, her look became understanding. She looked back up at Essa.

"Ah, okay. Just wait here a moment and I'll go get the manager," Mine replied and headed off to do that, trusting the other cashier, one who had been there the other night, to make sure that the customers didn't do anything.

The girl, her nametag, if Essa was reading it right from where she was, said that her name was Sasara, but the girl was too preoccupied to notice her standing there. Essa doubted that she'd remember her anyway.

"So you're back."

Essa jumped at the sound of the voice, having not been paying attention. She looked over to see the guy – Eikou was it? She couldn't see his tag – standing on the other side of the counter, pouring some coffee into a few mugs. Essa nodded dumbly, wondering what to say.

"Looks like you're having a better day," he smiled kindly.

"So far, so good," Essa nodded, watching him. Her attention was drawn though when Mine returned, a grin on her face again.

"You're in luck, Jukodo-san will see you," Mine announced, turning her till off and putting a sign on it that said she would be back soon before motioning for Essa to follow.

Essa caught Eikou's shocked expression before she followed Mine along into the employee area of the café. The walls of the hallway leading back into the employee lounge and such were a stark white, as if freshly painted and there were some plaques of recognition on the walls, but otherwise it was pretty plain.

"You can call me Mine," the girl said, her voice bubbly. She seemed to be quite the happy person, though for all Essa knew this was just because she was helping a customer.

"Essa," the white-haired girl replied, trying to grin herself.

"Don't be nervous. Jukodo-san is a nice person, just act naturally and you'll do fine," Mine smiled. "That's what I did."

Essa laughed a little, but Mine didn't seem to take offense to it. When they came to the proper room, Mine knocked on the door to get the man's attention. He looked pretty young and friendly, which calmed Essa slightly, especially as he stood and offered for her to come in and sit.

"Thank you, Mine," he said and the girl headed off back to the cash registers. "I'm Jukodo, have a seat, please."

And the interview began, which Essa struggled with. In the end, though, she somehow ended up getting the job, but she had to wonder if it was just some of her powers' influence over him, too. Something said that it played a part, but she wasn't going to back down. It wouldn't hurt anyone if she worked here.

The most difficult part was filling out her information. She didn't have a next of kin they could contact… she didn't have a permanent residence… she could only hope that they would pay her cash because she certainly didn't have a bank account either. Yeah, she was going to let her powers help her on this one.

Starting the next day, she arrived in uniform and her hair tied back, ready to work. She felt pretty lucky that she was working with the people she more or less knew; she, Eikou, Mine and Sasara all had the same shift and became quick friends. They were all happy to help her figure things out and because she was quick learner (which surprised even her), Essa found herself at the cash register before she knew it.

It was a couple days later, one of those slow days where they were mostly just standing around and talking, when they heard the footsteps telling of customers. Sasara was the one who headed to the counter to take their order and the voices that Essa heard chilled her to the bone.

"What can I get you?" Sasara asked, inwardly getting a bad feeling from these two, but she wasn't there to judge. She was there to serve.

"I'd like some green tea and a honey glazed donut," the first voice said.

"I'm going to get a green tea, too and a few double chocolate cookies," the second added to the order.

Essa hadn't been paying attention at all to who came in, but when she heard those voices, she stopped what she was doing, more or less freezing in spot and her grey eyes widened. Carefully, she glanced over her shoulder to see who was there.

'Kin and Michiko,' she thought in shock, wondering if they were searching for her or if it was coincidence.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Essa looked back over at Eikou, seeing concern on both his and Mine's face. They had followed her line of vision, but saw nothing to be that alarmed about. True, they didn't look all too friendly, but they didn't look dangerous.

She shook herself mentally, regaining her composure as she said, "I just know them, that's all. Didn't expect to see them."

"They don't look like the nicest of people," Mine commented, looking them over as Sasara walked over to get their orders.

"Did you want to eat here, or is this to go?" Sasara called when the water was ready for the tea.

"We'll take it to go," Michiko said, her eyes glancing around now. She got a strange sense from this place, yet everyone and everything looked normal. There was no reason that she should be getting this odd sense. Her eyes passed over Essa, as if not even seeing her.

She looked over at Kin, or rather, Space to see if she noticed anything, but Space only seemed to be in la-la land. When their orders came up, she was surprised when the cashier told her the total. Usually whenever they got anything they didn't have to pay, considering their powers' influence over the people, yet these people were expecting money. Space snapped out of la-la land then.

"What?"

Sasara repeated the price, thinking that they just hadn't heard. Reluctantly, Universe pulled out the money they did have and paid for it, all the while going over the people in the café again with her eyes. Something wasn't right here and she suspected that Star was near, but still there was no sign of her.

With their food and beverages paid for, Universe and Space turned and left the café, both wondering but neither saying anything until they were out of earshot of the café.

"What was that, Universe?" Space asked almost frantically. "What just happened back there?"

"Shut up," Universe snapped irritably and this irritation came from a mix of anger and fear. "I don't know what happened, but I think Star was somewhere there."

"I thought so too, but I didn't see her," Space shook her head. "We couldn't have missed her."

"No," Universe agreed. "Whatever happened, we can't let it happen again. We have to get Star back soon."

"And if we can't?" Space asked gently before taking a drink of her tea and burning her tongue.

Universe growled at the thought. "If we can't then we'll have to take on the Senshi ourselves. We won't be as strong, but we'll be strong enough to beat them."

They hadn't attacked in the several days since Star vanished, trying again to come up with a way to get her back and 'complete the set', but since they couldn't find her – they couldn't even sense her – all they could do was plan. They couldn't test their plans and they knew that calling her out would do nothing. She wouldn't come if called. They doubted that she would even help Serenity anymore, which was another reason why they thought they could get her back.

"What about Star?" Space asked, her poor tongue still stinging, but it wasn't as painful.

Her mind had long ago come up with an answer for that question. "If she won't fight with us, then we'll have to take her down, too."

xxxxxxx

"Serenity, I'm telling you. The others will be pissed if you don't get to the meeting soon," Spike told Serena as she sat in the arcade playing video games.

Since Essa had left, Spike ended up staying with Serena and Luna. He kept telling himself that it was just until Essa cooled off and came back, but as the days passed, a feeling of dread that she would never come back began to sink into him. He constantly pushed this sinking feeling aside though, since he didn't want to believe it. If only he knew where she was then _he_ would go to _her_, but even he couldn't sense her now.

He sat on top of the game, staring over at Serena with his green eyes and scolding her with them. His tail twitched back and forth irritably and he knew that he was attracting stares from other people in the arcade, but he was speaking low enough that they didn't hear him. The only reason they would have to stare would be because he was in there in the first place.

"Come on, I promised Luna I would get you there," he almost growled. "Why won't you just go?"

"Do you know how boring those meetings are? All we're doing is talking about the same thing over and over and over again. What else is there to talk about?" Serena asked, not taking her eyes off the game. She too was speaking in low, quiet tones so that people didn't think she was talking to herself.

Spike almost wished that no one else was around so that he could full out yell at her, but he mentally slapped himself for thinking that. They were lucky as it was that the people who'd disappeared returned unharmed. There were some that said they ended up at some abandoned warehouse, having no recollection of how they got there. There were others who ended up at home, but didn't remember leaving work or anything like that.

"You know what they should do," Serena said suddenly. "The meeting should be here. It would be so much more fun that way."

"Serenity, I'm pretty sure the reason they _don't_ do that is to keep you from getting distracted," Spike sighed, his ears flattening against his head.

Spike's ears quickly perked though and his eyes went to the figure at the door. Looking back at Serena, he saw that she hadn't noticed this, probably because people came and went all the time. She had no choice but to notice when that person put their hands forcefully on her shoulders.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rei demanded and Serena jumped, causing her to let go of the control and making her lose the game.

Serena wailed and people stared before going back to what they were doing; Spike only watched, terribly amused by this. He was glad that someone else had come, but wished he'd been able to do that.

"Rei!"

"You said you were coming to the meeting, Meatball-head!" Rei protested. "So you're coming now!"

"How 'bout you all stop trying to tell me what to do!" Serena grabbed onto the bottom of the stool to keep herself firmly planted.

"Look, Serena, we let the thing go with none of us knowing where you were, the least you could do is come to this meeting!" Rei whispered viciously.

"She's right, you know," Spike said, leaping down and sitting on the control panel now, just daring her silently to push him aside so that she could play again.

"But guys!"

xxxxxxx

"So nice of you to join us, Serena," Luna said sarcastically as Rei and Spike finally dragged the girl to the temple. It took a lot of persuasion, including the promise of comic books, but it got her there, so it was a worthy sacrifice.

Serena only glared at the black cat before sitting down and pouting slightly. She didn't want to be here at this boring meeting and decided now that the comics weren't worth it. She should have asked for donuts and candy, too.

"So what's our plan against these Dark Senshi?" Lita asked, making a fist and hitting her other hand with it. "They're not coming to us, so I think we should go to them."

"One problem, Lita," Mina reminded. "We don't know where they are."

"We can just go looking for them," Lita insisted. Really, she was just getting antsy waiting around for the Dark Senshi to attack. She didn't understand why they were taking so long, but it was making her nervous.

"That could take forever," Spike sighed. "The Dark Senshi won't give up that easily. They're probably just trying to figure out what to do now that no one knows where Essa is. They want her as part of their team again and then if they succeed at that then they'll come after Serenity again."

"So you're saying that we just wait then?" Rei asked, settling down now. She'd been pacing only moments before.

"That's what I've _been_ saying. I know how they work," Spike said as he sat near the door so that he could feel the fresh air and also so he could keep watch. He kept hoping that he'd see a familiar face come walking up the steps, but so far that familiar face was still missing.

"Then how come you don't know where they are?" Lita demanded.

The black and white cat bristled. "It's not that simple," he said, his tones warning.

"You're sure making it sound that simple," Lita countered.

"Enough," Artemis cut in. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything. We need to wait, like Spike said. When the time comes, we just have to be ready to fight."

xxxxxxx

It was just after lunch and the lunch hour rush was starting to thin out. All four of them had been working their tails off out there and were glad that it was slowing down now. Unfortunately, it seemed like there was going to be more excitement in their afternoon as the power went out. The low music that was usually always playing shut off, so at first they thought it was just that, but their tills went off as well and the lights made a snapping sound, as if they'd burnt out.

"What's going on?" Mine asked, pressing buttons on the till to see if it would come back on.

The sky suddenly darkened considerably, making it look like a storm had come all of a sudden.

"Is it a storm?" Sasara asked, walking over to the door to take a look outside. People in the café were starting to get worried, but Essa, Mine and Eikou were quick to tell them to remain calm and stay where they were. "I don't see any clouds or rain," she commented, opening the door just a bit and sticking her head out.

"Shut the door, just in case," Mine said, not wanting it to blow open if a freak wind suddenly came blowing through. "I don't like the look of things."

Essa remained silent, debating within herself what she would do. She didn't like the look of this at all and knew in her core exactly what was going on. The question now was what would she do about it?

The world seemed to go silent around them and even the people in the streets had stopped. Most where retreating into stores, thinking that rain was going to come gushing down on them, some even coming into the café and staring out the window. As some point Jukodo-san had joined them and was talking calmly to the customers that were demanding answers from him since he was the manager.

"Look there!" someone whispered frantically, pointing outside. Essa and the others followed the collective gaze, seeing what they saw.

'Oh no,' Essa thought, having dreaded this.

"Is this some sort of freak show?" Eikou wondered aloud.

"No way!" Sasara said in shock and girlish glee. "Sailor Senshi!"

"What?" Eikou questioned, looking at her with disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Come on, haven't you ever seen the video games? That's totally them!" she said excitedly.

"Maybe this is some staged thing for a new game then," Mine suggested, which seemed somewhat reasonable.

"I don't think so," Essa commented. "If it is, that's one killer weather machine." What she didn't add was that it definitely couldn't be a staged thing because she'd been a part of that team before. If it had all been a staged performance, that would have been so much easier. She wouldn't be in this mess.

Space and Universe were walking down the street, clad in their fuku and apparently searching. Essa found it odd that they weren't making a b-line straight for her and it reminded her of when they'd been in there earlier. They hadn't noticed her at all. Was she somehow cloaked from them now?

"What are they doing?"

"They're just walking around."

"This is boring."

"Should we call the police?"

The crowd was beginning to stir, asking a hundred questions that no one could answer. Some had stayed in their seats and were just enjoying what they'd ordered, but most were trying to see out the large window of the café to see what was going on. Jukodo-san was trying to get them away from it now.

"If you'll all just please have a seat!" he called over their questioning murmurs. "I'm sure this'll all be over soon! Please, have a seat!"

He was having no luck though and Essa was beginning to grow edgy herself. She didn't like that they weren't leaving and worried that they were just toying with her. She hid this worry as much as she could and continued to watch as Universe and Space stopped every once in a while and seemed to confer. What they were talking about, she didn't know, but she was glad when they finally moved on because she was very close to rushing out there and facing them. It appeared that she wasn't good under pressure.

As they did leave, though, the sky lightened up a bit before it decided it might as well rain, considering it was already dark with clouds. It wasn't a heavy rain, as expected, but a light rain. The power flickered back on and the lights relit as people settled back down and made to leave. Some had charged out of the stores only moments after the Senshi had walked past, but they saw no one there.

Essa stood at the window a few moments longer, her grey eyes worried and wondering.

'Why didn't they see me?'


	7. Chapter 07

**Bands  
**_Chapter 07_

She heard screaming around her, but she didn't know where it was coming from or why the person was screaming. No, not person, persons. Plural. Many people screaming. But how many? And back to the original question – why?

The white haired teen looked around, her eyes in frantic search for the ones who were screaming, but there was only darkness around her. Ever continuing darkness that frightened her. But those screams… she had to help them.

She ran, but she didn't think she was getting anywhere, for the darkness only continued. After a while, she stopped to catch her breath, the screams continuing to pound in her ears, but then they too stopped. She stood stalk still, looking around and listening, but she couldn't hear anything anymore. Only a soft droning that came with silence, but then…

"Wake up, Star…"

Essa sat bolt upright in the bed, her covers and her long hair flying around her as her eyes were wide and fearful. She looked around, determining where she was and then taking a second to remember all that had happened that got her there. Slightly relieved that it had only been a dream, she fell back into the pillows and lay there, thinking.

She glanced over at the clock, but it was only four in the morning. There was no way that she had to get up just yet and she closed her eyes while wondering if she really did want to fall back to sleep. Her body called for more rest, but with dreams like that, her mind didn't want to bear it. So she lay there, eventually falling into a kind of half-sleep.

In her half-sleep, her thoughts wondered about the nature of the dream. The voice at the end, who'd told her to wake up, it sounded soft, gentle and ultimately kind. In her half-sleep, she couldn't place the voice, even as it entered into her mind again.

"They protect you," the soft voice told her, though whether this voice was internal or external, Essa couldn't tell. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she was awake or asleep anymore.

"Who does?" she questioned, or did she just think it?

"Your powers, Essa," the voice said with a little laugh, but it wasn't a mocking laugh. "They protect you because…"

But the phrase remained unfinished as her eyes flew open this time. The sound of the clock radio playing music invaded the conversation, breaking it and waking her up now. She looked over at it again, this time with calmer eyes as the two dreams were already leaving her consciousness. It was now about eight o'clock in the morning and her brow furrowed. She didn't recall setting the alarm. She didn't have to work until the afternoon, so she had no reason to set it.

Rolling over, she pushed herself upright, and sat there for a moment. She left the radio on for the noise and because the song that was playing was pretty good. Absently, she swayed to the music for a few minutes as she forced herself to wake up fully instead of being groggy.

Eventually, she decided to go take a shower and when she emerged from the bathroom afterwards, she pulled her heavy, wet hair up into a ponytail before braiding it. When she was younger, she had shorter hair, but she'd decided to grow it out. There was no real reason, she just felt like it. As she fought with getting it into the elastic, she considered cutting it again, just so it would be easier to take care of.

When she returned from getting some breakfast at the breakfast bar in the main entrance, she sat down on the bed in her pair of shorts and loose fitting t-shirt, shutting off the radio and turning on the television. After finding a random program to watch on the television, she sat and ate her breakfast.

She set the bowl on the nightstand beside her as she finished eating and as she was turned away from the television, she heard a scream. This scream came from a commercial on the television, but instantly, other screams invaded her mind. They struck her like a blow as her dream suddenly came rushing back at her in a towering wave. She froze, staring off into space as the memory of the dream took her.

When it passed, she still didn't move, one arm outstretched and setting the bowl down as she stared at the dish blankly. Again, her mind was questioning who those screams belonged to. Did they belong to someone she knew? Had something happened? Was something _going_ to happen? Whatever the case, she didn't like the dread that it now filled her with and it wasn't until she physically shook herself that she was able to snap out of the trance-like state she'd fallen into.

Essa leaned back against the headboard and pillows, wondering but knowing too that she wouldn't find any of the answers she wanted. She could only hope that it wasn't a premonition and that it hadn't actually happened.

As she arrived at work later in the afternoon, she was forced to forget those things and concentrate on her job. She was actually quite relieved to have the distraction, even if serving the huge amount of people was tiring. Why there were so many people, she couldn't be sure. It was after the lunch rush and long before dinner, so it couldn't be either of those things.

She jumped back and forth between acting as a cashier and preparing food as she was needed, but all of them were doing their share of the work. As the rush calmed a bit, Essa stayed on cash, taking orders and giving change to the customers and then wishing them a nice day as they parted.

"How may I help you?" Essa asked the next person in line. It was a young looking gentleman, wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of shorts as well as a baseball cap on his head. Essa gave him a polite grin as he didn't say anything, and she was about to ask again, since for all she knew he was hard of hearing, when she saw his hand move.

"You can help me by doing this for me," his deep voice said as his hand moved to rest on the counter while the other stayed in the pocket of his shorts. "What you can do for me, little girl, is hand over all the money in that till right there."

"Excuse me?" Essa was questioning if she heard him correctly. He was speaking in a low voice, as if he had some secret to tell, so she could have heard him wrong, but something told her that she hadn't. Just looking at his expression and the way he was standing… no, she'd heard him perfectly well.

"I don't want any trouble. Just give me the money," his dark eyes ordered for her to do this along with his voice.

Essa froze for a moment, fear making her cold, and yet she still found herself saying, "No."

"You think this is a joke?" the man growled.

"Hey buddy, can you just order, please? I have a meeting to get to in ten minutes," someone from farther down the line asked a little rudely.

"How 'bout you just shut up, pal?" the man snapped, turning towards him and his hand coming out of his pocket. It was of course at that point that everyone saw the gun.

The people screamed and many immediately shrunk down. Needless to say, a wave parted around the guy as people scrambled out of the store and along the walls. The four young employees froze where they were, glancing at each other with fear and worry. Mine nodded her head slightly, as if to give indication that she was going to call the police.

"No one move!" the gunman shouted now, turning back to Essa and pointing the gun at her face. "Now girly, just give me the money and I won't have to blow your pretty little face off, got it?"

"Back-!"

"It's fine," Essa cut Eikou off, raising her hand even to signal for him to stop. She stared the guy down, daring him ask it again. He glared back, desperation in his eyes as a nervous sweat began to break out on his brow. He didn't like this girl's resistance.

"Essa, just give him the money," Sasara said as calmly as she could, watching the gunman carefully. "This isn't worth dying over."

"You should listen to her," the gunman said with a sick grin as people whimpered in the background. When he saw that Essa still wasn't moving, his grin fell and his expression became angry. "Just give me the god damned money!" he shouted now, the gun still in her face. Seeing that she didn't seem to care about her own life and considering how she'd reacted when others tried to step in, he took a different approach. "Fine! I'll just have to shoot these people then!"

Essa's eyes flickered to the people now in the range of fire. A few children, a couple teens and a handful of adults. Regardless of their ages, she couldn't let them die simply because she didn't want to give in to this bastard. Yet, even as her mildly shaking hands opened the cash, she had no intention of giving him any money. He wasn't looking at her, but he grinned at the sound of the machine opening. This grin disappeared again as he saw out of his peripheral vision that she'd jumped over the counter.

Caught off guard, she managed to punch him right in the face and he stumbled backwards, his arms reeling.

"Essa, what are you doing?!" Mine demanded frantically. She was at the phone now and she'd dialed the number for the police. She simply let the phone hang off its hook, not risking speaking into it.

"Stop it!" Sasara agreed. "You're going to get yourself killed."

Essa ignored them, watching as the gunman regained his balance and composure. His eyes were ablaze with fury now. Without really thinking what she was doing, as the man charged at her now (why he didn't just shoot her was a mystery) she met his attack with a punch to the stomach and as he doubled over, she swept his feet out from under him, sending him to the floor.

He landed hard, firing a bullet into the ceiling as he did, which seemed to remind him that he had the gun at all. Looking at the weapon stupidly, ignoring any screams around him, he pointed it at this white haired do-gooder now and shot.

Her reaction time was too slow and her body jerked backwards as the bullet lodged into her lower, left shoulder. She staggered, trying to remain standing as the guy was getting back up, but she felt her legs give out from under her. She didn't hit the ground though as a pair of arms held her up.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Eikou's concerned voice snapped at her.

The gunman laughed at the sight, wiping the blood from where he'd bit his lip sometime in the mess.

"Where are the police?" she asked in a whisper, though she knew that there was no way any of them could know.

"They're coming," Eikou told her, resting her against himself as his eyes went back and forth between her and the gunman. He had a cloth he'd grabbed pressed to her left shoulder to try and suppress the bleeding, but he knew that she would need a doctor. "You shouldn't be fighting in the first place."

Essa looked up at him with her grey eyes, resisting saying that she had to and even as she thought that she thought that she should just transform and deal with this guy that way.

"You thought you could get me, little girl?" the gunman snapped, raising his gun towards Essa again. "A little girl like you? I don't-"

"Freeze!"

The door crashed open, slamming against the wall with a crash as the glass cracked and even broke. A handful of police stood in the doorway, pointing their guns at the man.

"Put down your weapon!" an officer demanded, his voice loud and strong, but it seemed to have no effect on the man.

Instead, he turned to fire on them, but they still managed to shoot him first. This shot caused him to drop his weapon, at which point the police moved in, swarming the man and calming the crowd. Paramedics came rushing in, too, but Essa couldn't recall anything after that.

xxxxxxx

"Wake up, Star…"

'No, I don't want to. Can't I just sleep?' Essa thought in response to the voice. 'I'm so tired.'

"You have to wake up, Star. You're still needed…"

'They can fight without me, can't they? I did my part… and then look what happened!'

"You know they need you. They've proven that they need you from what they've done…"

'But I'm so tired…'

"Please, Star… Wake up now."

Essa opened her eyes, feeling her lashes stick together before breaking apart. Her vision was blurred and her head felt light and fuzzy, but as she lay there trying to piece everything together, the world settled in around her and she began to see she was in a dark room.

As her hearing returned, very amplified at first, she heard beeping around her. It was constant and rhythmic, like a heartbeat and she came to realize that that was exactly what the beeping signified. She was alive.

Why she tried to shift, she didn't know, but when she did try, pain shot through her shoulder. She lay back into the pillows as sparks appeared before her eyes and waited for the sensation to subside.

She only moved her head, but even that caused pain, to look around the room. She was the only one in the small room and the lights were off. The curtains, however, were open, revealing the rain outside. She found that she could only just hear it over the machine that measured her heartbeat, as if her mind only wanted to listen to the beat of her heart to make sure that she stayed living.

She simply lay there for a while, wanting to get up, but not daring to move. It wasn't until sometime later that she heard the door open as a nurse entered.

"Asari-san," the nurse said in surprise, but also gratefulness, "You're awake!" She sounded genuinely pleased, so Essa couldn't help but grin slightly. "How are you feeling?"

Essa opened her mouth to reply, but found that nothing came out and the nurse quickly moved to get her something to drink. Helping the girl sit up a little, even as she hissed in pain, she then handed her the cup, but kept herself ready to catch it should the girl lose her grip.

"It's amazing you're awake this early. The doctor expected you'd be out until morning," the nurse commented as she set the cup back down on the side of the table and checked that everything was good on the machines. "That's quite the thing you did."

"Where," Essa began, her voice still scratchy and dry, "Where is my necklace?" She couldn't feel it around her neck and she hadn't seen it anywhere else.

"The paramedics gave it to one of your friends, I think they said," the nurse explained. "When they visit I'm sure they'll bring it for you."

"When can they…?" she trailed off, only able to form little sentences, it seemed.

"Probably in the morning. If everything goes well through the night, you should be good to see them then," the nurse smiled, turning to her. "And considering how well you seem to be doing already, I think everything will turn out wonderfully."

Essa leaned into the pillows, her eyes already fluttering closed again. She was indeed really tired.

"Do you need anything?" the nurse asked quickly, seeing the girl dozing. As she shook her head, the nurse continued. "Well, if you do, there is a buzzer on the side of the bed here" – she showed her – "and all you have to do is hit it and someone will come, all right?" The nurse was satisfied when Essa nodded and helped her back into a more comfortable position.

Essa heard, again with amplification, as the nurse's steps left the room and the door closed. The machine continued to beep around her.

'I'm just so tired…'

"But, Star… you're needed…"

xxxxxxx

"Our top story tonight tells of a young teen who did a very courageous thing. We now go out to Rika Fukuda, who is on site," Hiroaki Kurusu, anchorman, announced.

"Thank you, Kurusu-san. I am outside the Café where this attempted robbery took place. According to witnesses as well as employees, it was around five this afternoon that a man entered into the building, and when asked what he'd like, he demanded to be given the money in the register. Incredibly, the cashier, a miss Essa Asari, fourteen, _refused_ to give the man the money, even when he pulled out the gun.

"When the gunman, a twenty-six-year-old named Rokuro Godo, threatened others within the café, young Asari looked like she was about to hand over the money, but as you will see from the following surveillance clip, that was not what she did. Take a look," Rika Fukuda said and the clip that followed her showed what had happened as Essa jumped over the counter and onward.

"According to fellow employee, Eikou Ichikawa, even after she was shot, it still seemed like Asari wanted to fight, but luckily, police arrived and the gunman was taken down. He was taken into custody and of course will be facing charges. Asari was taken to a nearby hospital for a bullet wound to the shoulder, but doctors say she will pull through just fine. Kurusu-san."

"That's quite the story. Thank you, Fukuda-san, but the story doesn't stop there," Hiroaki Kurusu continued, shifting his papers needlessly in front of him. "There is news that Essa Asari is the same young girl who went on the missing children's list just under two years ago. After failing to return home from school one afternoon, Asari's parents had called the police and a search began, but the girl was not found. This is what her parents had to say those years ago."

Essa's parents, a younger looking woman and gentleman, appeared on the screen, with their son by their side.

"Please, if you know where my baby is, please… just bring her home! I'll do anything!" her mother wept as her father comforted her, which was surprising considering their feuding.

"Unfortunately, the young girl never turned up and then months later the parents were devastated further by the death of their son, Raye. Destroyed by this death as well as the disappearance of their daughter, the Asaris reportedly moved about a year later.

"At this point, authorities are working to track down her parents, but so far there has been no result. If anyone has any information about where this girl's parents might have moved to, please contact the number on the screen. We would very much like to reunite Essa Asari with her family."


	8. Chapter 08

**Bands  
**_Chapter 08_

The same dreams disturbed Essa's sleep, the screams calling out to her. The screams were in words this time, not just noise, and Essa could hear as they pleaded for mercy. Pleaded for someone to make whatever was happening to them stop. The white haired teen couldn't find these people though, and she couldn't save them. Again, she heard as the screams grew louder and louder until they just stopped entirely.

Essa also dreamt that Spike came to visit her. She could, in her dream, see him sitting in the windowsill with a cat-like grin on his face and an amused twitch to his tail. He didn't say anything, only staring at the girl as she lay in the bed and as the light shone from behind him. She called out to him, for him to come and sit at her side rather than be so far away, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out. What was worse was that instead of coming closer, he leapt out the suddenly open window and she didn't see him again. The sense of loss filled her.

She shifted to a semi-conscious state, where her thoughts were stirred past the moments of the dreams to wondering about other things. Like if her powers were supposed to protect her, why did she get shot? Why didn't the bullet just deflect and fly away? She guessed though that her powers would only protect her from the others' abilities, and not concrete weapons like a bullet. It was her guess because the voice didn't come to tell her.

Although, the voice did return, saying again, "Wake up, Star…"

xxxxxxx

She woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the doorframe before they walked in. The nurse looked apologetic for having woken her, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Miss Asari, if you're up to it, you have visitors," the nurse told her. She went to Essa's side when she saw the girl trying to sit up with a grimace on her face. "If you're not up to it, I'm sure they'll come back another time."

"No, it's fine," Essa said, reaching out for the bottle of water that was sitting on the nightstand. The lid wasn't screwed on too tightly, so she had no trouble opening it while the nurse checked that all the machines were still hooked up and that nothing got jarred as she sat up.

"All right. I'll send them in, then." The nurse seemed pleased, as if her wanting to see visitors showed good recovery. Maybe it did.

She heard muffled voices outside as the nurse spoke to who she assumed were her friends. Her wager was that the nurse was telling them not to get her too riled up or something along those lines and that she still needed to heal. Essa didn't expect that any of them would allow her to do anything but talk, anyway.

It was a few moments later that Eikou, Mine and Sasara walked into the room. She grinned at them, but she became puzzled when Eikou held out his hand. Did he want her to shake it?

"Here," he said, standing at the bedside with his palm up.

Essa looked, seeing the silver chain and pendant sitting in his palm and was actually quite startled. She'd forgotten about that this morning, but she attributed it to her just-woken-up state. She reached out, taking the chain and nodding in thanks before Eikou accepted the chair that Sasara had dragged over for him and Mine, as well as herself.

"I hate you," Mine was that first to sputter out only seconds after they had sat down.

They all looked at her dumbfounded, but none of them said a word.

"You scared me half to death with your crazy heroics. What the hell were you thinking?!" Mine snapped, but she didn't sound like she actually hated Essa; she just hated that Essa had scared her so much.

"Crazy?" Sasara said. "More like psychotic."

"It was just something I had to do…" Essa couldn't think of any way to explain it.

"Don't be an idiot," Eikou was the one to snap now. "You didn't have to put your life on the line like that."

"It was on the line whether I wanted it to be or not. He probably still would have shot me, even if I had given him the money," Essa countered as calmly as she could. "That guy wasn't stable." She stared Eikou down, slightly uncomfortable by the look in his eyes, but she wasn't going to break away so easily.

Sasara was the one to change the topic slightly as a moment of silence ensued. "When were you going to share that you were a missing child?"

"I wasn't going to share," Essa said curtly.

"Why? Were you like kidnapped or something? Was someone threatening you?" Mine asked, concern flooding her voice now.

"Of course not. You think I would let someone kidnap me?" Essa grinned ever-so slightly as she tried to think how to explain the situation to them without telling them anything.

"She has a point, you know," Sasara agreed. "After yesterday, I can't see this girl letting anyone mess with her."

Essa nodded her head slightly. "I was the one who decided to go missing, so why would I tell people? They would just make me go back."

"So you've been on your own for two years?" Sasara questioned.

Essa didn't answer this part, not knowing just how much the news had spread of her disappearance. Had they told about Kin and Michiko's vanishings yet?

"Maybe the better question," Eikou began, "is why."

Tension was starting to fill the air. Essa got the sense that he was mad at her, but she wasn't entirely sure why. What did it matter? It didn't concern him, did it? She didn't see how it would. She resisted an uncomfortable shift as her friends sat in silence, waiting for her answer. Her ears were humming, trying to figure out what to say and she half-wished that instead of these three that it was the Senshi sitting before her. Them she would be able to tell.

"To get away," she said finally. "I couldn't stand living in that house. Not with my family like that."

"What are you talking about? Your family looked perfectly normal in the clip they showed on the news," Mine's brows rose in question.

Essa's gaze turned to the wall, as if it would give her some way to escape this questioning, however, all her eyes met was a painting of a serene lake under the moonlight. She stared at it a moment, her mind becoming lost in the sudden wonder of what the Silver Millennium was like.

"Essa?" Mine's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"They weren't," Essa explained, her eyes still on the picture, but her mind no longer on the wonder. "They were on the brink of a divorce for years."

"Sorry to hear that," Mine said quietly as she looked at the painting now, too. What was so fascinating about it?

"That's still no reason to run away."

Essa's attention snapped back over to the voice that'd said that as Sasara's voice scolded in an almost hiss, "Eikou."

Her eyes narrowed slightly in a flash of anger and the childish want to cry, 'what do you know?!' But her expression softened, knowing that unless he knew the other reason she'd run away, he wouldn't understand her thinking. Even then, he might not understand her mentality in the situation.

"Maybe not," she said finally, her voice even. "But I did. I can't do anything about that now. The only thing I can do now is go back, and that's if they even find my parents."

"Of course they will," Mine said reassuringly. "They have to. It's not like they could just disappear off the face of the planet."

Essa got a strange, sinking feeling with these words; a feeling that she didn't like and couldn't shake. She didn't know why, either, which made the feeling even worse. She did her best to hide it, but it left her afraid and almost sick.

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother, too," Mine added as another uncomfortable silence threatened to fall.

Essa nodded her thanks before looking to Mine. "Have they said anything else on the news about how he died?"

They all shook their heads and that sinking feeling grew within Essa.

"So far there hasn't been anything else in the news," Mine said almost apologetically, as if it was her fault.

"I see." Essa's attention fell to the necklace in her hand as she absently twined it around her fingers. She was half-surprised that the chain didn't break and wondered if she would automatically transform if it did.

"Where'd you get that?" Eikou asked curiously, indicating what he meant with a nod of the head in the direction of the necklace.

"I'm not exactly sure," she said, which wasn't exactly a lie. She really couldn't explain where it had materialized from except that it was maybe her mind. All she knew for sure was that it _had_ materialized and from seemingly nowhere. "It's just one of those things, you know?" She looked up at them with a half-grin on her face. "You have it, but you can't for the life of you remember where you got it."

Sasara nodded in understanding. "You know, I have a pair of socks like that." They all looked at her in disbelief. "I'm serious. One day I just opened my drawer, and they were sitting there. I have no idea where they came from."

"You ever think that maybe your mom got them for you or something?" Mine laughed.

"I don't know. I never asked," Sasara shrugged. When her three friends laughed again, she gave them a look that went with her next question, "What?"

"Well, it's just so random," Essa said. "A pair of socks?"

"So what? All I'm saying is that I know what you're saying." Sasara folded her arms over her chest in mock hurt at their laughter, but then a realization crossed her expression. "You know, we're such good friends that we haven't even asked you how your shoulder is." Eikou and Mine stopped laughing as the shock of this truth hit them.

"I would like to know the same thing," an older female voice entered into the room. They turned to see a woman clad in doctor's apparel walking towards them with a clipboard in her hands. She set it down on top of one of the machines before checking them out.

"A little sore, but not too bad," Essa replied, watching the woman. She couldn't really recall seeing this woman before, but figured that this was the one who'd operated on her.

"Do you need us to leave?" Mine asked, readying to get up.

"Actually, I think that would be best," the doctor explained. "After I'm done here, there are others who have to speak with Essa."

"Others?" Essa wondered aloud, wondering if the Senshi were there to see her. But she didn't see any reason these guys would need to be kicked out for that.

"Don't worry," the doctor said, writing stats from the machines down on her clipboard.

Eikou, Sasara and Mine returned the chairs to their place in the room and turned to leave after wishing Essa goodbye and a speedy recovery. Upon the doctor's request, they shut the door as they exited as well, and it was just before they did so that Essa caught the shocked look on their faces. Who was out there? It couldn't possibly be her parents, could it? Would the doctor kick them out of the room so that she could be reunited with her parents in peace?

"I'm just going to take a look at the wound," the doctor explained as she leaned Essa forward and pulled the gown off enough so that she could see the gauze. She pulled gently at the medical tape and the gauze came off without sticking too much to reveal stitched wound. "Looks good. No infection," the woman commented.

Essa glanced at the wound as best she could and besides a patch of red around it, it didn't look too bad at all. She had expected it to look a lot worse.

"It seems to be healing quickly, which is good," the doctor continued, examining the stitches now to make sure that none had been broken. "You said it's just sore."

"Right," Essa nodded. "It's not easy to move."

"It shouldn't be. It'll be stiff for a bit," the doctor smiled slightly, helping Essa put the gown back on properly after recovering the wound. "I'll let the others in now, but don't be alarmed. If you need anything, you can just call."

As the doctor opened the door and left, Essa heard footsteps coming towards the door and her heart began to beat quickly in anticipation. Who were these guests? Why hadn't the doctor told her? Was it to be a surprise?

With her hopes subconsciously having risen, when she saw the people that stepped into the room, they crashed hard. Her heart didn't stop beating, but now it was just from anxiety rather than hope.

"Hello," the first man said with a slight bow. "I'm Officer Ibu. This is Officer Takarabe." The second bowed as he was introduced. "We're just here to talk with you and to let you know what's happening."

"You have nothing to be afraid of," Takarabe said with a smile, though Essa detected a hint of sadness in it. That sinking feeling returned.

"We were able to find your parents," Ibu started. "Thanks to a tip from a neighbour, we didn't have too much difficulty. After your brother died-"

"How did he die?" Essa interrupted, unable to stop herself.

"We're not sure about that, yet," Ibu said patiently. "We're still looking into it, don't worry. As for your parents, the lead led us to a city called Marathon in Florida. You know where that is, right?" the officer asked the girl, not treating her like an idiot so much as making sure she was keeping up with him.

"The United States," Essa supplied, but said nothing more. Shock filled her that they had moved so far away. If she had ever tried to find them, she wouldn't have been able to. This left her with a feeling of sadness and loss; what would have happened if she had tried to find them? She would have been alone… She suddenly felt like a young child who'd been separated from her parents in a large theme park. That fear of never ever finding them washed over her.

"That's right," Ibu nodded. "Unfortunately, what we found there…" He was suddenly at a loss for words in staring at this girl's expression, like he couldn't bear to break her spirit. "I'm sorry, Asari-san, but your parents are dead."

"Dead?" Essa breathed, her body numbing and the sinking feeling suddenly making sense. "How?"

Ibu was silent for a moment, and Takarabe picked up where he left off. "Right now it looks like they were murdered, but it's a cold case. That means-"

"All evidence led to dead ends. No killer was ever found." Essa's eyes were on her pendant again, the silver chain around her slender fingers.

"Yes…" Takarabe trailed off. He hadn't expected this reaction from the girl. He hadn't expected the shock to lead her to shut down; he had expected her to become hysterical. But the only signs of sadness he saw were glassed eyes as she stared down at the necklace in her hands. He suspected that it might be from her parents. "I'm very sorry that we had to tell you this."

"What happens now?" Essa continued, her ears humming painfully. Her eyes were also stinging, but she refused to let the tears falls just yet.

"Well, we've begun to search for any relatives. Your mother's brother, for instance. I understand that your grandparents have passed?" Ibu spoke again now.

"All of them before I was ten," Essa nodded numbly.

"Do you know where your uncle lives at all?" Takarabe asked gently.

"I didn't know I had an uncle," Essa told them, clutching her hands to stop them from shaking. "My mother never mentioned him."

"I see, well, we'll have to search for him then. If not, then, considering your age, you'll be placed into foster care," Takarabe continued.

"Foster care?" Essa's eyes lifted to the pair of officers, however, she didn't hear their reply at all. In fact, all that happened after that was more or less a blur in her mind. All she knew was that her parents were dead, her brother was dead, and if they didn't find someone to take care of her, she'd end up with complete strangers. No, she'd end up with complete strangers anyway, since she didn't even know her uncle.

Later as she lay in the hospital bed, the only noise around her was from the beeping machines. She lay on her back, looking at the picture of the moonlit lake courtesy of the actual moonlight from outside the window.

Her eyes were damp with still unshed tears and her mind was numb. As she lay there, her only thoughts were that she had to get away. Had to run again, but she didn't even know why. She didn't feel afraid of a strange relative, or even a strange family that she would meet in foster care. Something was just telling her to run. Something was screaming within her.

It was late into the night that she pushed herself up in the bed, leaning against the headboard for a moment. She stared out the window at the night sky and the vision of her dream popped into her head. The vision of Spike leaping out the window crossed her mind and she leaned forward, grimacing in pain. Taking her pendant from where it sat on the night table, she sat in silence for a moment, listening to the noise from outside the room. There was no noise to hear.

She looked at the pendant, hearing a whisper that she passed off as her imagination before saying aloud in her own whisper, "This better work."

The pendant seemed to respond, glowing a dim silver as Essa gently removed all that hooked her to the machines. Her reward was seeing that it did work as the machines kept their beeping even as their attachments sat on the bed. Swinging her legs slowly over the side of the bed, Essa pulled the gown off slightly, revealing the gauze that covered the wound. The tape peeled back easily and the area was still quite red, but if this worked, it wouldn't be for long.

Essa took a few deep breaths, bracing herself for what might come from her next actions. The pendant still glowed in her palm and she pressed that palm to the wound.

"Star Pain Be Gone," Essa whispered, hoping that this would work, even if she wasn't in her Senshi form.

Again she was rewarded as the silver light wrapped around her shoulder and the red began to recede before completely vanishing. When the glow stopped and she took the pendant away, she saw that the wound had become only a scar and even the stitches had vanished. Gingerly, she tried moving it, and besides being a little stiff, it didn't feel painful now. Apparently, her plan had worked, and it amazed her.

She stepped off the edge of the bed, knowing that her clothes were probably in the drawer of the night table, but she didn't bother with them.

"Star Power!" her voice declared in a whisper.

Star looked towards the closed door, seeing that any light that had shone hadn't attracted anyone. Satisfied, she looked to that painting one last time before heading to the window. She paused when her mind showed her Spike sitting there again and then as he leapt out.

"Spike…" she said, wishing her friend was by her side. She followed after the vision, opening the window and disappearing from the hospital.

xxxxxxx

After leaving, she made a stop at the motel, grabbing what little she had and paying what she could for the room, completely undetected on both accounts (even as she paid, she'd used her influence on the man who sat behind the counter; he wouldn't remember a thing). She was in and out of that place in very little time and after leaving her few possessions where she knew she would find them later, she made her move.

xxxxxxx

The black and white cat lay on the deck of the shrine, as he'd ended up staying there that night. After hearing what had happened, he had debated about going to Essa, but he hadn't, wondering if she would even want to see him. Instead, Spike had stayed as close to the fire Senshi as possible, in case she might sense something concerning Essa, or even the Dark Senshi.

He lay under the moonlight, more dozing than actually sleeping. He heard the sounds of other creatures around him, but none approached and he didn't make any move to drive them away. Instead, he just lay there, breathing steadily and worrying.

His fur was standing on end, and he didn't know why. His animal instincts were telling him to be afraid, but not of what. His instincts didn't care what there was to be afraid of, just that there was something.

'Spike…'

His ears cocked forward as he heard this whisper of a voice on the air. His head rose slowly, looking around and yet seeing no one that would have called his name. What he did see surprised him and he wondered how it had ended up there without his knowing. How had Essa's duffle bag ended up just beside him without him having heard anyone put it there? How had he not sensed her presence?

"Unless she used her powers on me…" he wondered allowed, slightly hurt by the thought as well. In any case, he knew that he shouldn't just lounge about now. He got to his feet, looking towards where Rei slept within the shrine.

"I have to get the others."

xxxxxxx

Star ran down the streets, passing under the streetlamps and passing anyone who was awake almost without notice. Her shoulder felt fine now, but her body felt chilled. Worry was flooding through her body, which was the cause of this chill and she knew that she wouldn't be able to shake it. Instead, she just kept going.

_"This just in, it appears that Essa Asari has disappeared from hospital. A nurse doing her rounds entered into the girl's room to find that even though the machines were still working just as normal, that the girl they were supposed to be hooked up to had vanished. The nurse called police immediately, and they are now out looking for her."_

The night air was pretty warm around her and felt humid. She wondered absently if it was going to rain, but her thoughts weren't on the weather. Instead, she concentrated on reaching her destination, but became slightly distracted as she passed the café. She paused to look within the dark store, wondering if she would ever see those friends again. Were they going to disappear and then die like her parents had?

_"The police suspect that word of her parents' murder may have spooked the girl. She may have run to avoid being placed in foster care or under the care of her unknown uncle. Though police say that she didn't seem frightened by this information in hospital, the nurse says that it may have finally just sunken in."_

She continued on, heading towards the building.

_"Whatever the case, Asari is now missing again. If she is spotted, please call police right away, and if you can, get her to stop. Do not try anything rash. The police just want to bring her back safely."_

She slowed to a halt, walking in the shadow of the building, though not hiding. Why she came here, she wasn't even sure. Some part of her had been called here. Some part of her knew that here she would find answers.

_"The number is on your screen, or you can call the main police number. Let's bring Essa Asari back."_

Why they would have the answers, she didn't know, but as Kin and Michiko stepped out of the apartment building, the looks on their faces told her that they did. They knew what she wanted to know. They knew why her family was dead.


	9. Chapter 09

**

* * *

**_Warning: This chapter containts mature subject matter. If you think it warrants a mature tag for the entire fanfiction, then let me know._**

* * *

Bands  
**_Chapter 09_

"We figured you'd be coming," Michiko said with a sly grin. "After seeing what they said on the news, we knew that you'd come crawling back to us."

"What do you know?" Star demanded, obviously not in the mood for their games. She just wanted direct answers, answers that would explain the fear she was feeling.

"You know it too, Star. It's just been blocked out," Kin told her and Michiko nodded in agreement. "All you have to do is remember."

Star stared at them, dumbfounded and suddenly finding herself shaking. She didn't know whether this shaking was from the chill that still held her or from the fear that those words brought into her heart and mind. Her vision was even starting to blur from the anxiety that flooded her and she unconsciously took a step backwards, almost stumbling.

"It'll be okay, Star," Michiko reached out for her. "We're your friends, remember? We're here for you."

The Senshi only shook her head furiously, leaning against whatever was behind her. She wanted to remember, but the revulsion that rose within her whenever she tried told her that remembering wasn't going to make things better. Remembering would only make things worse, and yet part of her just had to know.

"No…" Star collapsed, sliding down to the ground with her hands on her head and her knees drawn to her chest. She leaned her head against her knees and had her eyes tightly shut.

"Leave her alone!" Sailor Moon's voice broke through Star's growing turmoil.

She looked up, shocked to see the other Senshi all standing in front of her. Not only that, but she felt fur brush against the fabric of her gloves and she looked to see Spike there at her side, looking up at her with concerned green eyes. She reached out, gently stroking his head and looking to him for answers.

"What are they talking about, Spike?"

"What?"

"They say I know what happened. All I need to do is remember," Star told him. "What am I not remembering?"

Spike looked over at Michiko and Kin, who still stood in their civilian forms before the group of girls that he'd gathered together. It had surprisingly been quite easy to get them all up and together, even Serena. Perhaps they all sensed the same thing that his instinct was still telling him to run from.

His eyes studied the two teens standing opposite of the others, wondering himself what they were talking about.

"It's no use asking him, Star. He doesn't even know about it. He wasn't there," Michiko shook her head. "We made sure of that."

Spike couldn't even remember being kept away from any situation, but it certainly had his fur standing on end. He didn't like where this was heading.

"Come, Star," Michiko beckoned. "We can help you remember."

Star sat a moment, thinking and then she slowly forced herself to her feet as she felt that calling again.

"It could be a trap, Star," Spike said with unease, looking up at her.

"I have to know," she replied. "Even if it destroys me."

"Don't," Sailor Moon turned to her, her blue eyes pleading. "Don't do this. I have a bad feeling."

"Please, Serenity. I have to," Star pushed past the girls gently, knowing that they were watching her back as she approached her friends.

Kin and Michiko looked to each other and nodded in silent agreement. Kin was the first to make her move, her hand going to the band that was around her neck. With her left hand, she placed her index and thumb on the sides of her neck, and then drew them together. Dark, tainted-looking gold followed the movement of her digits.

"Space Power!"

The light spread over her body, before seeming to be drawn into the band itself and imploding. This implosion resulted in the revealing of the fuku, which glowed slightly before falling normally against her form. The dagger appeared as well, spinning in Space's hand before she grabbed hold of the hilt and it stopped.

Michiko, not having a band around her neck, had a different way of transforming. She pulled what looked like a black pearl on a chain from around her neck and tossed it into the air as she called out, "Universe Power!"

The small black orb exploded with a murky purple light, raining down around the girl in what looked like the shapes of planets before all hung in the air and seemed to orbit around her. Lasting only a second, the planet-looking light was quick to attach to the girl's form, creating the crisscrossed ribbons and all else that went with the fuku. When this was complete, the staff plummeted from the orb, which grew in size and placed itself atop the weapon as the claws grabbed and held it. Universe wrenched the weapon out of where it stuck in the ground, and then used it to lean on.

When Star reached them, it was Space and Universe that she faced and she was well aware that the other Senshi had drawn closer as well. Spike was at her feet, ready to tear into these two with his claws if they so much as hurt Star; he didn't know how much damage he would end up doing, but he would try.

"Are you ready, Star? You're not going to like what you see," Universe warned with a hint of a grin on her face. She saw the look in Star's eyes as the girl opened her mouth. "You have to know, got it." She looked over at the other Senshi before looking to Space. "Do it."

Wordlessly, Space drew her dagger back and before anyone could do anything to stop her, she brought it down in a slash across Star's body. Despite the collective gasp, the weapon didn't actually cut Star, but rather acted like cutting open whatever blocked her memories. Star stumbled back, gripping her shoulder as it throbbed with a brief, stabbing pain, but then straightened as the world around them all grew dark.

Star heard the screams from her dream now, this time much louder and sharper, but as she looked around, it seemed that she was the only one who could hear them. The other Senshi only looked perplexed, but from the darkness, not from any noise they were hearing.

"What's going on?" Jupiter demanded. "What have you done now?"

"There are no readings here at all," Mercury told her friends, swiftly shutting the device. "I can't tell where we are at all."

"Don't worry," Universe said, her voice cool and even. "What's important is that it's working to reawaken Star's memories."

They all turned to Star, whose eyes had become wide as she stood there motionless. Sailor Moon quickly went over to her, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Star, can you hear me? Star!" she shook the girl slightly as she yelled, but her only response was being forcefully pushed aside by Star. Sailor Moon stumbled, tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Mars snapped, approaching Star as well, but she was blocked by Universe and Space.

"Leave her alone," Space ordered.

"This is our last chance to bring her back to us," Universe said, almost inaudibly.

xxxxxxx

The scene around her had turned into a park near where she used to live. It was night, so there was no one around, but Star, in her Dark form, sat on the rail that separated the walkway from the water so that children wouldn't fall in. It was a strange sensation, watching herself sit there and she knew that she had a purpose in being there. It wasn't just that the Dark Senshi had decided to take a rest there; there was a reason.

The cool air of autumn blew around them and suddenly a glint entered the Senshi's grey eyes and a grin appeared on her face. It wasn't a happy grin, but a twisted grin. The one she was waiting for had arrived.

Star followed her memory-self's line of vision and she jumped in surprise when she saw her brother walking towards her Dark form. The young teen stood there, his dark, brown eyes looking to the girl who sat on the rail with surprise, as if he hadn't expected to see her at all.

"Where's my sister?" he asked, his voice on the brink of being a demand. It was like he knew not to be too sharp with this girl.

"I am your sister," the girl on the rail replied, unmoving. "You don't recognize me?"

"It can't be…" he trailed off, taking a few steps closer to get a better look. When he got closer, he seemed convinced, but kept his distance. "What happened to you? Why did you run away?"

"Come on, Raye," memory-Star scoffed, and didn't bother to explain the obvious. "You know. And besides, I couldn't come home looking like this, could I? I have other things to do now, Raye."

"Essa, please. Just stop this and come home. They're looking for you everywhere!" the boy pleaded.

"I know, but I can't. I can't go back to that and I can't go back like I am now," memory-Star told him darkly.

"No one will be mad. Why won't you-" Raye began, the breeze of the night stirring his short, light hair. It wasn't quite as light as his sister's white locks, but pretty close.

"I said no!" she snapped angrily, cutting him off.

"Then why did you call me out here?!" he snapped back, clearly angry.

"To help you forget. I'm starting with you, and then mom and dad are next."

Memory-Star now moved off the rail, approaching her brother with even steps. He took a few steps backwards, but then full out turned to run, suddenly not liking the look in his sibling's eyes, nor the way that her hand was glowing. Star didn't panic though, the whip flying forward and wrapping around his throat and he came to a jerked halt, his hands flying to his neck to try and pull the whip away.

"I don't want to hurt you, Raye, I just want you to forget I ever existed," memory-Star explained.

"N-n-no…" Raye struggled, tears flooding his eyes. "S-st-stop-p, please…"

"Shh. This will only take a moment," memory-Star hushed him, placing one of her hands on his as she now stood before him. She saw the fear in his eyes and recoiled slightly, but then felt the push to continue anyway. "Star Imitation," her voice said softly, and she used this attack to borrow the powers that Universe was able to use. If Universe were to call out the attack, it would be called 'Universal Oblivion'.

Memory-Star seemed shocked, though, when the attack didn't act as she thought it should. Instead of creating a darkness that surrounded her brother, which would make him forget, she heard lightning crackle along the whip and then she saw with wide eyes as her brother's form became lifeless. Sharply, she yanked the whip away and it vanished and she held her brother's form as it sunk to the ground, the unshed tears still in his eyes.

"Very good, Star," the voice came from behind her.

Memory-Star turned to see Universe and Space standing there. Universe was the one who had spoken.

"What happened?" memory-Star demanded, her eyes horrified.

"You didn't actually think that we could let him live, did you? Oh no. Even a suppressed memory is still there. One day he might remember, and then everything we worked for would be for nothing," Universe explained, crouching beside her friend and taking her arm. "Come on, now. We have to get going." She pried Star's arms away, and was displeased to find that she'd been affected so much by this. "Here," Universe offered, turning Star's face towards her own. Looking Star in the eyes, she ran her finger along the band and as the glow ceased, Star's horror turned to indifference. "Let's go."

Star watched her memory in utter terror, tears streaking silently down her face and she could feel the knot of a sob in her chest as she stood there. She wanted to cry out, but knew that it would make no difference. She wanted to change the memory, but knew that she couldn't. As the memory of Universe helping her up and away from her brother passed before her, Star took a step forward, but even as she did, the memory changed.

"No…" she choked, knowing suddenly that it wasn't over yet.

Now she stood, in her memory, in a house and she could hear the air conditioning around her. She looked around at the openness of the place and could see out the many large windows a beach just outside. She was about to go look outside when screams erupted from upstairs and cold washed over her as she knew these were the screams from her dream.

She ran up the stairs, coming to a hallway where she saw the young couple backed against the wall. Star saw herself standing before them, and this time her eyes looked angered, unlike when she'd seen herself looking at her brother. She got the sense that Universe and Space had done something to her by this point. She was no longer in control of herself here.

"Shut up!" this memory-Star shouted. "How dare you scream! How dare you move away!"

"Please! Just don't hurt us! Have whatever you want!" her father shouted, pulling out his wallet even and throwing it at her.

Memory-Star caught it and without even looking at it, threw it aside. "I don't want any of your money! Did you think moving away would make you forget me?"

"Please, I don't even know who you are!" her mother wailed, clinging to her husband's air desperately.

Memory-Star's eyes flashed with fury. "You don't even know your own daughter? You sicken me! Here, I'll help you forget. Save you the trouble!"

Star watched as in her memory, her whip took hold of her parents' throats much in the same way that it had her brother's. She recoiled, turning away from the scene and somehow leaning against the wall, even though it was only of memory. She was having trouble breathing, but her attention returned to the scene as Space and Universe emerged yet again.

"That was the last link, Star," the Universe of her memory said. "You are now free."

Memory-Star wasn't paying attention to her comrades, though. Instead, her eyes were locked on the man and woman who were crumpled on the floor before her. The look in her eyes was still enraged, as if they hadn't done what she commanded. Memory-Star reached out her hand towards Space, and the dagger appeared, which she grabbed.

"I said shut up!" the memory snapped, quickly drawing the blade across their throats. The screams were still echoing around her in her mind, but they began to fade after she did this. She turned away from the pair, heading down the hallway with Universe and Space and the trio simply vanished.

"Star…" the voice faded away.

xxxxxxx

Star found herself leaning against Universe as the memories faded around her. Universe was holding her much like a child that needed consoling, and for a moment in her tear-ridden state, she thought about just staying there and letting Universe block the memories away again.

"You see, Star," Universe wiped the tears away from her friend's eyes and off her cheeks. "You remember now, don't you? It had to be done."

Star held back a sob, and hearing Universe's words brought distraught fury to her. She pushed violently away from Universe, almost running into Space, but avoiding her. She saw Spike circling around her feet again and could hear the low growl in his throat and she caught the Senshi's confusion out of her peripheral vision. The darkness had lifted around them, returning only to the regular darkness of the night.

"You made me do it!" Star snapped, her voice seething. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"What, Star?" Spike demanded, seeing her body shaking.

"It had to be done, Star," Universe explained as if it was no big deal. "If they had been allowed to live, you never would have stayed. You would have just gone back to them and you never would have been truly one with the darkness."

"It did _not_ have to be done!" Star snapped. "They didn't have to die! They just had to forget!"

"But you needed it, too. Without it-" Universe began.

"No! You're wrong! I didn't need to kill them!"

There was a collective gasp of horror from the Senshi. Sailor Moon even screamed her shock, but the scream was brief. No one spoke for a very, very long moment and Star only stared hard at Universe.

"You did, Star," Universe finally said. "There was no other way."

"You're sick!" Jupiter shouted her disgust. "How could you do that?!"

Star wasn't sure who Jupiter was talking to, but it didn't matter.

"You tricked me into believing that what I was going to do to Raye would make him forget. I didn't know it would kill him!" Star growled.

"You wouldn't have killed him if you did, right? See, that's exactly why you needed to do it. Remember, as Dark Senshi, we're out to _kill_ Serenity. Without the taste of death, you never would have even gotten as far as you did. We just didn't expect that Serenity's powers would have an effect on you," Universe continued, her own eyes darkening in anger and irritation.

"Moon Princess Halation!"

Universe and Space jumped out of the way, just in time before the attack hit. When the smoke cleared, they all looked at Sailor Moon, who was shaking with anger and sorrow. She was looking at the ground, her scepter hanging at her side now as she did.

"That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard…" she said, her voice quiet. "How could you do that to your friend?" When neither Space nor Universe answered, she looked at them with a dangerous expression. "Answer me!"

"I don't have to answer the likes of you, Moon Princess," Space retorted before charging forward. "Space Black-"

Space didn't get a change to finish calling out her attack as she was forcefully knocked aside. The Dark Senshi tumbled and rolled along the ground before coming to a halt, and Star now stood where Space had been. A shadow seemed to be hanging over her face. All eyes were on her.

"Star?" Spike questioned carefully, watching as Space shook her head and began to rise to her feet.

He jumped in surprise when Star suddenly whipped around, punching Universe in the face before the girl had the chance to attack her. Universe had been trying to sneak up behind her, but obviously failed. The Dark Senshi fell to the ground with a sound 'oomph' and remained motionless for a moment.

Star looked at the pair of them darkly. "That's enough! I'm putting a stop to this!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Bands **– Chapter 10

"I don't see why you're getting so mad at us, Star," Universe picked herself up off the ground, using her staff as a support. "_You're_ the one that did it."

"_You _made me, you scum!" Star snarled. "Star Shower Inferno!" The attack rained down on Universe and Space both, though Star heard the distinct sound of Space erecting a shield. Yet, she wasn't worried; she was confident that her powers would break through.

Sure enough, there was a resounding crack and screams followed. Star stood motionless, her eyes cold with fury as she watched the attack unleash on her former friends. The only thoughts that were running through her head were how they had ruined her life and how they'd taken everything away from her. Vengeance seethed through her like a thick liquid.

As Space charged forward now, damage from the attack visible on her scuffed skin, Star braced herself, ready for whatever her former friend was going to throw her way. She caught the glint off of Space's dagger in the corner of her eye and her whip was suddenly in her hand as she leapt backwards out into the more open area of the street beside the building.

"Star Pain Be Gone!" The whip rocketed forward, connecting with its target perfectly and Space was sent flying backwards yet again. Star landed on the ground, her hand already glowing to unleash another attack as Space's tumbling came to a stop.

"Star! Stop this!" Sailor Moon's voice pleaded, catching the angered Senshi's attention. Sailor Moon flinched at the look in her eyes, but persisted anyway. "You're going to end up killing them too!" It was hard enough for Sailor Moon to believe that this girl had killed in the first place, but seeing her anger as she did, she was worried that it would only happen again. She couldn't bear it and more importantly, she didn't think Star could bear it.

Star did pause, watching Sailor Moon for only a brief second. It seemed that she was considering Sailor Moon's words, and that an internal battle was beginning in her again. But it was in that second that another attack was launched and Star's attention diverted.

"Universal Explosion!"

The impact of the attack sent Star flying into the wall of a building across the street. She connected hard, easily being winded and her form crumbled on the ground. For a long moment it looked like she might be unconscious as she didn't even move, but as soon as Universe took a step forward to investigate, the Senshi was pulling herself back up and glaring at Universe with those same cold eyes.

Universe actually recoiled slightly, frightened by the look she saw in her comrade's eyes. The Dark Senshi watched Star, studying this sudden intense darkness that seemed to cloud the girl's eyes. Was the plan working? Was Star becoming so stark crazy that she would return to them? Or would she be so angry with them that she would just break away entirely?

"Star," Universe finally spoke, Space standing at her side again. "Come back with us. You can forget this pain again, I promise."

"Don't listen to her lies!" Sailor Moon shouted, wanting to charge forward, but resisting. "They'll only cause you more pain!"

"She's right! The only way to deal with this is to heal!" Venus shouted, too.

Space turned towards the group of Senshi, her expression dark. "That's enough out of you! Space Black Hole Engulf!"

All the Senshi leapt out of the way, but Sailor Moon seemed glued to the spot, as if determined to face this. She raised her own weapon, preparing to call the attack, but before it got to her, she was pulled out of the way.

"Are you crazy?!" Tuxedo Mask's voice scolded once they were safely out of the way.

"I could have handled it!" Sailor Moon insisted, looking at him with determination in her eyes. She pulled herself out of his grasp slightly, wanting to show that she could be strong, too.

"No," Star called, her voice even and low. "You can't beat them. This is my battle."

They all looked to her, shocked by the statement. Spike's ears flattened against his skull in worry about what effect this was having on Essa. He didn't want her to return to the darkness. He didn't want her to kill again. And yet, his fur still stood on end.

"Protecting them to the end, are you, Star?" Universe said with a half-grin. "Protecting Serenity won't do you any good. After we get you ba-"

"You're not 'getting me back'. This battle ends now. It stops today," Star snapped. "Star Shower Inferno!"

She raised her glowing hand into the air, where the silver light dispersed in dagger-like shapes and flew towards their targets. The pair didn't move until the last moment, at which point they leapt high into the air, as if they had been on springboards that rocketed them to such heights.

"Space Black Hole Engulf!"

"Universal Explosion!"

As the attacks flew towards her, Star stood her ground, watching them carefully. Her hands glowed silver and as the attacks were inches from her, she threw her hands out in front of her and the attacks stopped dead. A gasp of shock was heard as the glow of the three attacks pressing against each other was seen on Star's face and then it became silent awe as the attacks dissipated completely.

"H-h-how…" Universe sounded genuinely confused. She didn't understand where Star had suddenly gotten this power and she didn't know how to deal with it. How were they supposed to beat her?

Star straightened, her eyes falling to her former-friends again. "I told you," Star began. "I'm putting a stop to this." Her whole form seemed to be glowing now, and yet her eyes were still dark.

"STAR! DON'T!" Spike shouted out to her, charging forward, hoping that he would get to her before her attack was launched.

"STAR SHOWER INFERNO!"

xxxxxxx

"Come on, guys! Come upstairs! I have something really cool to show you!" Michiko ushered her friends into her house and whisked them up the stairs as soon as the door was closed. Her footsteps were clearly eager as they fell in stomps as she mounted the stairs.

"Can't we get a snack first?" Kin asked following the eager girl up the stairway to her room. Her steps were slower, and obviously wanting to turn around and head for the kitchen. "I'm hungry!"

"Hungry-shmungry, this is way cooler than that!" Michiko waved them on, rolling her eyes at Kin.

"I'm kinda hungry, too," Essa put in. "Can't this wait?"

"No it can't!" Michiko snapped irritably. "Maybe I just shouldn't even show you guys. It's way too cool for you to see." When she saw the looks on her friends' faces darkened, she giggled and said, "Just kidding! But seriously. Come on!"

Without further protest, Essa and Kin followed Michiko up the rest of the carpeted stairway to her room. She pushed open the door, let her friends in, and then promptly shut it behind them. It didn't seem like this was something secretive, since she didn't lock the door. Closing the door was something she did all the time when they came over so that her mom wouldn't complain about them being too loud.

It was a pretty big room; big enough at least so that when the trio had sleepovers that there was adequate room for each of the three. There was a pair of windows, side by side just by the dresser that sat in the corner and the bed was right on the other side of the windows. A nightstand sat under the window and a beanbag chair sat just beside the foot of the bed.

Dropping her school bag by her bed, as her friends sat down on the beanbag chair, Michiko began to furiously rummage through her closet, obviously looking for something.

"It better not just be some new outfit you got, Michi," Essa leaned forward on her elbows and resting her chin on her folded hands, looking at Michiko sideways as the girl threw things out of her closet in their general direction. "That totally could have waited until after food."

"It's not a new outfit!" Michiko's muffled response came.

Essa and Kin looked at each other and shrugged, definitely curious by this point.

"Why don't you just tell us while you're looking?" Kin asked with a slight sigh as her stomach grumbled.

"Here it is!" Michiko pulled out what looked like a glossy ten-pin bowling ball.

"So you took up a new sport?" Kin took a guess, looking in the closet's direction for maybe a pair of bowling shoes that might have fallen out.

"It's not a bowling ball!" Michiko snapped and pouted slightly, as if what it was, was glaringly obvious.

"Well, what is it then?" Essa asked as she looked at it from different angles, yet staying seated.

"I found this in my room the other day. This is going to sound crazy, but I had a dream about it. Just this orb with tons of planets and stars trapped inside. When I reached out for it in my dream, it rolled away, but I chased after it. Then, when I woke up, it was sitting on the floor beside my bed," Michiko explained.

"You're right. It sounds mental," Essa sighed, her tone disbelieving, leaning back into the beanbag chair. "Let's get her a straight jacket."

"No, wait," Kin breathed out in awe, hitting her friend lightly on the arm with her waving hand. "Look, Essa."

Essa's brows furrowed as she looked at Kin, but her eyes went back to the orb. There was true wonder in her friend's eyes, so she had to see for herself what she was seeing. Her own grey eyes widened as she looked over and saw that the orb was glowing slightly, but the planets and stars that were suddenly moving about inside were still visible. She opened her mouth to comment, but nothing came out.

"Who's mental now?" Michiko grinned triumphantly. "I told you, it's awesome."

"What if it's like some radioactive thing?" Kin asked with a look of disgust on her face. "We'll all die."

"I don't think it's radioactive…" Essa finally managed to say. It was like something in her gut instinct was telling her this, because there was no way she could know just by looking at it.

The three fell silent in fear and wonder as the room grew darker around them, like all the blinds had been shut. They looked around and saw that it was still perfectly light outside, and yet none of that light was getting into the room. Not only that, but there was a sudden whisper on the air, but what the whisper was saying wasn't yet audible.

Essa felt a chill run up her spine as the three of them stared at the orb yet again. This time, their gazes didn't wander for it was like their eyes could no longer move. It was almost like someone was holding their eyes in place.

"Universe…" the voice suddenly became audible.

It was only a fraction of a second later that the glow of the orb encased Michiko's body. Before any of the girls could even protest, the glow had revealed a strange outfit that they'd only seen the likes of in video games.

"Space…" the voice whispered again and this time the glow launched itself towards Kin.

Essa, who had been sitting between where Michiko was standing and where Kin was sitting, leapt out of the way ever so slightly, wondering fleetingly why the glow had bypassed her. Her eyes were on Kin as she too was suddenly wearing an outfit like Michiko. The only difference was the design and the black band around Kin's neck.

"Star…" the voice returned and Essa looked back at the orb just before she too became encased in the glow.

What she heard at first was a horrible, loud roaring sound, like the wind of a hurricane. She felt as her school uniform was replaced by this strange clothing and though she wanted to fight off the sudden danger she felt, her mind fell to a darkness that she couldn't explain and couldn't escape. This sensation came just as she felt a band slip around her neck and then it was over. There was only darkness around her as she opened her eyes.

"Senshi… it is time… the queen's reign will end…"

xxxxxxx

Star felt her form shaking as the power ripped through her and her body jerked violently when it had stopped. The silver light hung in the air like a sparkling fog for a moment and she only stood there, breathing heavily from the shock of the attack as well as the memory that had suddenly flooded her vision. Oddly, she felt that she was not the only one having this memory and that Universe and Space had experienced the same thing.

As the light faded, the scene became visible again, but there was a difference. The Senshi were all still where they were standing, except for two, who had collapsed to the ground. While Star stood there for a brief moment, feeling an odd sensation of satisfaction, once that moment had passed, her mind flew into frantic turmoil. They hadn't collapsed from shock, or exhaustion or any such thing…

"They're dead…" she breathed out in horror. Tears were suddenly flowing freely down her cheeks and her throat closed in a sob; it was the same sensation she felt when she learned she'd killed her parents… the same sensation… she hadn't made anything better… it was ten times worse.

The Senshi hadn't heard her statement and moved forward to help the Dark Senshi and make sure they were all right. As they stepped forward, the fuku the Dark Senshi wore faded away, like water evaporating into the air. The Senshi didn't much question this, taking it only as a sign that they were beaten and that their approach would be unchallenged. Once they had all gathered around though, they came to realize what was truly before them.

"It can't be…" Jupiter uttered as she took a step away in shock. "How could this…"

"It's not true!" Sailor Moon insisted, crouching beside them and trying vainly to find some form of life within the two girls laying on the ground. Of course, she didn't know how, and Tuxedo Mask gently pulled her aside so that those who did could move in.

Mercury knelt on the ground beside the pair, trying to find a pulse as Spike approached Star where she still stood, wide-eyed with shock, grief and horror as she stared at the scene. He paused in his step a moment, assessing her and making sure that she hadn't fallen back into the darkness. The only emotion he got from her though was that she was in shock. The cat drew forward and brushed lightly against her leg to get her attention and she looked down at him.

"They're dead, Spike… I killed them… just like my family… I killed them…" Star sputtered, her own fuku disappearing now as she collapsed against the wall and tried to stop her body from shaking. It wouldn't stop and she was having trouble standing, yet she wouldn't allow herself to collapse fully.

Spike looked with terrified eyes from Essa to the group around the former Dark Senshi.

"There must be something we can do," Sailor Moon persisted, her eyes searching. Her hands suddenly flew to the locket that sat in the middle of her chest, pulling it. "I'll use the Crystal!" She stopped pulling at the locket as Tuxedo Mask's hand came to rest over her own. She looked at him with panicked, puzzled eyes, but it was Mars who spoke.

"I don't think it'll work, Sailor Moon," Mars said gently. "I don't even sense their spirits… It's like…" She paused, having trouble bringing herself to saying it. She glanced over at Essa, but she couldn't bear to look at the girl and so she looked back at Sailor Moon. "It's like they were completely destroyed."

"There must be something I can do!" Sailor Moon screamed, her voice echoing in the dead of the night. She looked with pleading, blue eyes to Tuxedo Mask. "Right? There must be something…"

He stared back at her, unsure what to say. His own shock encased him, since he'd been a strong believer that Senshi were healers, like Sailor Moon wanted to do. And yet this Senshi had taken life. She took life instead of saving it…

"I don't know…" he said honestly, his voice quiet. "I don't know if the Crystal can bring people back to life, Serena…"

Sailor Moon looked away from him, her eyes flooded with tears. If only Star hadn't made that last attack. If only Star had let her try to heal her friends with the Crystal, then there wouldn't be any of this pain… Sailor Moon wished that she'd been braver and that she'd gone to Star herself. Her powers had had a positive affect on Star before, so there was no reason they wouldn't have worked this time…

Silence fell around them, save for the sobs that each felt stirring within them. True, the Dark Senshi had been their enemies, but they didn't deserve this… no one deserved to die…

The silence was shattered by a horrible scream of anguish and their attention turned to where Essa was across the street, seeing that she'd now collapsed against the wall and slid down to the ground. She gripped at her head with her hands, leaning forward into her knees. A second scream followed, ripping through the air before subsiding into painful sobs.

It felt like someone was sitting on her chest and her whole body was shaking with terror and sorrow. A fear gripped her too, almost as tightly as the sorrow. What was going to happen to her? Would the authorities arrest her? Maybe she deserved whatever came to her though.

At this point she didn't even feel Spike rubbing his head against her arm. She didn't feel as Serena crouched beside her and tried to get her to stand up. There was an urgency in Serena's actions as she worried that the scene was going to attracted unwanted eyes, but Serena wondered that the battle hadn't already brought police to them. Had the people disappeared again?

Essa suddenly drew Spike into her arms, hugging him tightly against her, but not so tightly that she might hurt him. She buried her face into his fur, the tears making it damp, but he didn't protest. Instead, he allowed her to let out her sorrow as he tried to sort through what had happened with his own confused mind.


	11. Finale

**Bands  
**_Chapter 11_ – _Finale_

_"Essa Asari was found earlier this morning by police, shaken and refusing to respond to them. In her arms, police said, she held a black and white cat and have now confirmed that it is the cat that once was the family pet. Incredibly, the cat is healthy and seems to have found it's way back to Asari after all these years._

_"Police say the scene showed no sign of a struggle, but that it is confirmed that two are dead from whatever took place there. Along with Asari there were two other young girls who had also gone onto the missing children's list around the same time. These two were Michiko Noro and Kin Deushi, friends of Asari's, which would explain why she is so shaken up to discover their deaths as well._

_"Like in the case of the deaths of the Asari family, the two fourteen-year-old girls seem to have died mysteriously. The only signs of battery on them are little scuffs and scrapes that would have resulted from falling to the ground. Otherwise, it seems that they have just stopped breathing. Autopsy has so far led to no answers._

_"Their families were of course devastated to learn that their children had died and refused to speak on camera about it. However, they said that the three girls were very close friends and the fact that they had run away as a trio wasn't all that surprising since they did everything together. When they'd heard of Asari showing up at the café all these years later, they had hoped to find their girls as well, but as can be seen, this has ended in tragedy._

_"Asari was taken into police custody, coming without struggle in her state of shock. She was also taken to a nearby hospital to make sure everything was all right with her, especially with her recent wound, and doctors report that the wound seems to have miraculously healed. The only injury she seems to have suffered is to her mind as even more of those close to her have died._

_"The teen was taken into the psychiatric ward to help her deal with what she's witnessed, however, so far they are reporting that she won't say a word. They also say that she refuses to leave the cat, just as much as it seems to refuse to leave her, so the pair were placed in a special area so that the animal could not get loose and harm others or cause allergic reactions._

_"We will keep you updated on this story. This is Rika Fukuda."_

xxxxxxx

"Star… No Senshi has ever killed another," the voice told her, echoing in the numbness of her mind.

'I know,' she responded, her own inner voice sounding lethargic and weak.

She absently stroked Spike as he rested on her lap, never once leaving her side. As the officials had tried to take him away, not only had she screamed out in protest, but he'd thrown a fit as well, hissing and scratching at them. She felt lucky to have him there, comforted – if only a little – by his presence.

Essa sat in a comfortable rocking chair, her legs crossed up on the seat as she stared off into space and rocked back and forth, watching the scene play out in her mind over and over again. If only she could go back and change it… if only…

"You can't change it, Star…" the voice continued, almost seeming to taunt now and she was getting sick of listening to it.

'I could…'

"No," it snapped. "Don't meddle with the past."

Essa remained silent this time, deciding to ignore the voice, maybe in a childish pouting kind of way. She looked down at Spike, who turned his green eyes towards her and she could clearly see the worry. While she wanted to give even a fake smile to pacify him, she knew that he wouldn't be so easily duped. Even if he wasn't her guardian who could communicate with her and all, she knew well that animals could sense moods.

He hadn't spoken a word, not wanting to risk it in so public an environment, especially when she was under constant watch. The cat was also watching, though watching the doctors as well. He could sense them always keeping an eye on her, probably afraid that she'd go overboard and try to kill herself. Yet, somehow Spike knew that even in her grief, suicide wasn't crossing her mind. Why, he couldn't know since that seemed to be the general pattern for some humans, but something was keeping the thought from her mind.

Over the past week or so since the incident, all Essa had done was sit there, really. At first, she would only stare, but eventually she started to watch some television, always avoiding the news and anything that could trigger a negative reaction. The nurses made sure that she only had access to a certain number of channels, often just putting in an approved movie for her.

The teen felt very much like a child since she was being treated so delicately. She guessed that it was warranted though, considering her state, but she was beginning to force herself to come out of it. She was telling herself that it was her fault, and therefore she had no right to mourn or feel shock. No right. Not when they were all dead because of her.

Of course, she wasn't telling anyone that she was the reason all five of them – her parents, her brother and her two friends – were dead. No, she didn't want to go to a juvenile detention center and then prison for the rest of her life. How would she explain what happened to them anyway? They might just put her in an asylum for the rest of her life if she told them.

She wondered what the Senshi thought, knowing that they had left her be as the police arrived. Figuring there was nothing they could do for her, the Senshi had vanished into the still-dark morning before too many questions could be asked. When they'd tried to take Essa with them, not only had she refused, but Spike had told them to just leave as well and let the authorities handle it. It was the best option for them now.

Essa currently continued to rock in the chair, now watching a movie that was indeed for a younger audience. She didn't mind it though, allowing herself to escape in the fantasy of the tale, but thinking ultimately that things don't work like that and that happy endings aren't real. She continued to stroke Spike's soft fur as she watched the family film, feeling the gentle purr against her legs as he simply sat there in silence.

It was days after that that the same pair of police officers from before – Officers Ibu and Takarabe – entered into the room, this time with more care than they had before. When Essa looked over at them with her lackluster grey eyes, they smiled gently.

"May we come in?" Takarabe asked, surprised when Essa nodded, even if it was just slightly.

The officers walked further into the room, crossing to where Essa sat and taking a seat on the plush couch that was near the chair. They seemed startled by the cat on her lap, even though they had both been told that it was there. Maybe they had thought it wouldn't be real, but yet they could both clearly see it watching them with sharp, green eyes. They got an eerie sense that it was guarding her from them.

"You've been through a lot, but we have some good news for you," Takarabe continued, looking away from the cat, but it was Ibu who picked up after that.

"We managed to find your mother's brother – your uncle. They're a very nice family, but there is one catch," Ibu said slowly, making sure she was following. She nodded for him to continue, yet she wasn't looking at him, but the cat on her lap. "You see, the thing is that they live in Russia."

Essa stopped stroking Spike, feeling him tense a bit as his claws dug in and her own shock was present as well, though her expression didn't say so. "Russia?" she questioned, making sure she heard him correctly.

"That's right. Moscow, Russia to be exact. Your uncle would prefer that you went there instead of his family coming here," Ibu explained.

"Because he doesn't want to move…" Essa guessed, picking up stroking Spike again.

"More because he felt that getting you away from here might be best, and your doctors agree for the time being. They've been in contact with a doctor over there who will continue to help you along," Takarabe told her, not wanting her to think poorly of her uncle.

Silence fell between them and Essa thought.

"You can't leave," the voice returned at that moment.

'Why not?'

"Because you're still needed here, Star!"

'No, I'm not… Serenity is safe… I'll only cause more harm…'

"You have to stay, Star."

'No…' she told the voice she knew only she could hear. She turned her eyes to the police officers sitting before her and she could see that they were expecting her to say something. "I'll go."

xxxxxxx

It was several days later, upon her demand that she be allowed to see her friends and say goodbye, that Sasara, Mine and Eikou walked into the room she was staying in at the hospital. The three seemed apprehensive, and Essa guessed that the doctor had filled their heads with notions that she was insane. At the moment, Spike had slinked off to get some food, sneaking about the hospital even though he was supposed to stay in the room. He didn't ever go too far though, incase she needed him. But for now it was just Essa and her friends in the room. She looked at them, wondering what to say, but the looks in their eyes made her say something else.

"I'm not going to go nuts and attack you," she said calmly, her voice reassuring. Over the past days she'd been making an extra effort to be less withdrawn and to get back to normal. It was hard, but she felt it was probably for the best.

The three finally moved to sit down, but only after taking a quick glance at each other. They sat on the couch across from her, where the officers had been sitting days before. There was a long pause between them, since none of them knew what to say in this kind of situation.

"So… what happens now?" Mine asked, her voice small, showing that even if she wanted the courage to speak, she didn't quite have it yet. She was just at a loss as to what to do for her friend.

"They found an uncle of mine. I'll be staying with him and his family," Essa explained shortly. Her slight shift showed that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation, but she also knew that she really didn't have a choice.

"That's great," Mine continued, a small smile coming to her face.

Sasara nodded beside her. "At least you'll be with family."

"I'll also be in Russia," Essa added and watched their faces fall.

"What?" Eikou asked, turning his eyes to look directly at her now. He'd been somewhat avoiding her gaze, uneasy for some reason.

Essa nodded soberly. "They live in Russia. So, since I'll be with them, I'll be there, too."

"But that's so far away," Mine's brow furrowed. "We'll never see you again."

Essa had been deliberating what to say, since she knew that one of them – she had guessed it would be Mine – would say that. She had finally come to a decision as to how she would respond to that. "I may come back someday. I really don't know for sure, but I might." Her grey eyes watched each of them carefully.

"You have to come back," Eikou stated, feeling a sense of loss even though she was still sitting there right before him.

"Yeah," Sasara agreed with a nod of her head, and then a mischievous look came to her eyes. "Or I'll go over to Russia and drag you back myself."

Essa grinned, shaking her head, knowing she should have expected that. "All right then."

xxxxxxx

Her goodbyes to the Senshi weren't quite the same as with her three friends from the café. For one, she didn't see them until just before she was to leave with her uncle and aunt. The police had been the ones to retrieve her duffle from the shrine after she told them it was there, so she hadn't seen them since that night.

The trio, and Spike, were heading onto a small ship that would be taking them on a little cruise before they headed back to Russia. The doctors said it would be a better way to let them get acquainted with each other before completely immersing themselves in the 'family life'.

It was just as they were about to board that Essa heard voices calling from behind her. She had turned to see the five girls and Darien heading towards her and she told her aunt and uncle that she would just say a quick goodbye to them and then be right there. They had seemed apprehensive, but agreed and told her not to be too long.

Serena came to a stop, huffing on the spot, but still managing to spit out, "Weren't you going to say goodbye?"

"I figured…" Essa began, unable to finish, but she saw understanding cross their expressions.

"You figured it would just be better if you vanished," Rei scrutinized, placing her right hand on her hip. "Did you expect us to find out through the news or something?"

"It's not like that…" Essa said, clutching Spike closer to her chest, almost as if he were a toy, not a cat. She didn't like the look in their eyes, but guessed that she should have been prepared for it. She saw that they were all edgy around her, and it was understandable, but she didn't like the distaste that she saw there as well.

"Leave her alone, Rei," Mina warned with a sigh. "I think we've all been through enough that we don't need any of your antagonizing."

"Are you coming back?" Serena asked, much like Mine had.

It was Spike that answered this time. "Who knows? Maybe we will someday."

"What if we need you?" Serena persisted, even as Darien laid a hand on her arm to get her to stop with the million questions.

Essa only shook her head sadly. "I don't think you'll need me. I've caused enough trouble already." She turned and looked at the boat and saw her aunt and uncle waving for her to come onboard. Essa turned back to the Senshi. "Goodbye."

Essa ran up and onto the boat, turning back to look at the Senshi briefly before giving a small wave and continuing on to their rooms. Though people glared at her as she passed with Spike in her arms, she had refused to put him in a cage and had sworn that he would not be any trouble. After speaking with the doctors at the hospital, the crew had allowed this, but said that the cat had to be confined to the room at all times to avoid irritating any allergies people might have.

After dinner, the teen headed out for a walk along the deck, saying that she wanted some alone time. Again, there was apprehension in her new-found relatives, but they let her go, giving her a time to be back by. She agreed of course, knowing that they wouldn't let her go if she didn't. And though Spike was supposed to stay in the room, he managed to slink out after her, only coming out of the shadows when they found an abandoned spot on the dimly-lit deck.

Essa leaned against the rail, Spike jumping up and sitting beside her with his perfect balance. He looked over at the girl, his whiskers blowing in the wind caused by the movement across the water. He had no fear of falling in, only concerned for her, though even if he hadn't had this concern, he wouldn't have had any fear.

"I'll always be with you," the cat told her quietly, just in case someone happened to be near enough to hear.

"I know, Spike," she said with a grin, glancing over at him. "I'm trying to get past this, but it's so hard."

The cat purred, nudging her arm slightly with his head in wordless signal that things would get better. Essa placed a hand on his head, running it down his back before leaning her arms on the rail again and looking up at the sky.

"I wonder if Sailor Star has a star up there, like the others have their planets," she mused.

"I don't know," Spike followed her gaze, looking at the black of the sky and fixing his eyes on the lights that hung in it. He'd never really though about it, but now that he did, he really didn't know whether there would be or not. "Maybe the Dark Senshi don't have planets."

"Maybe," Essa agreed, not seeing how Universe and Space could have planets, considering their names. "Guess it doesn't really matter."

Silence fell between them; a comfortable silence only disturbed by the sound of the water against the ship. She turned her grey eyes to the waters now, her loose hair hanging and blowing against her face. She pulled it back over one shoulder, thinking of cutting it, and stared into the darkness of the water, though her bangs still hung slightly before her eyes. The only light cast on the water was from the ship and from the moonlight.

On sudden impulse, her hand went to her neck, grabbing the silver star pendant that still hung there. She pulled it off and Spike's ears cocked forwards inquisitively, wondering what she was doing, but he didn't say a word, only watching. He didn't think she would transform, but he was curious as to what she was doing with it.

He watched as she held it in her palm over the edge of the rail, staring at it pensively. The cat shifted slightly, drawing closer, wondering if there was something to see that he couldn't from where he was. He saw nothing out of the ordinary though and looked up at Essa.

"What is it?"

"This is what caused all the trouble, right?" her voice was almost distant.

"I guess so." He didn't see where she was going with this.

"So, if I got rid of it then…"

"Got rid of it? How?"

"I'll just leave it behind."

"You mean leave it on the ship? Someone else will find it then."

"No. There."

Spike looking out into the water, where she'd motioned to with a nod of the head. He didn't know much about diving, but figured that there was a better chance for it to stay lost forever in the depths of the water. He wondered though if that was the solution to their problems. Could it really be so simple?

"I don't know, Essa."

"If I keep it, it'll just be like a taunting memory. I can't say that leaving it will make me forget, but the threat of it happening again will be gone."

"That's true," Spike nodded slightly. "If you think it's the thing to do…"

"I do."

"Then I won't stop you," the black and white feline said, watching her intently with his green eyes. He could tell that she was really struggling with this.

Though it had caused so much trouble, there was just some part of her that wanted to keep it. It was like the Senshi part was trying to get a good grip on her so that she wouldn't abandon it forever; like it needed her. Like it was trying to survive. In the back of her head, she heard mumblings, like the voice was trying to speak to her again, but she was blocking it out with all her will. She had to block it out, because just as it wanted to survive, so did she. She wanted to keep her sanity.

So even as the innocent looking pendant glinted silver with the light, she willed her hand to turn over and the silver piece of jewellery slithered off her hand before plummeting down the side of the ship and then into the water. Essa stared at her hand for a long moment, as if to assure that it was really gone.

"It's over now," Spike broke the silence that had formed.

"You're right," she agreed, making the hand into a fist and then placing it on the rail again. "It's over." She turned, looking at him with a smile and feeling a sense of relief.

The pair stayed where they were for a few more minutes, looking out at the waters and enjoying a comfortable silence. When they finally turned away to head back to the room, Essa scooped Spike up into her arms, giving him a hug before just carrying him normally, being sure to avoid anyone that might scold her for having him out of the room. Just before they got to the room, she set him down and as she opened the door, he darted back in, in silence and neither Essa's uncle nor aunt noticed a thing.

"What were you doing out there?" Essa's uncle asked when she had closed the door. There was an air of gently curiosity in his voice, not a scolding scrutiny that might be expected.

"Just thinking," she replied, walking over to her bed and sitting down on it. Spike jumped up beside her, as if he'd been under the bed all along and waiting for her return.

"Your cat acts more like a dog," her aunt chuckled. "He waits for you to get back and everything."

"I know," Essa smiled, stroking his soft fur.

As she sat there with her relatives and her best friend, a calmness washed over her and she felt that maybe she had really managed to leave it all behind.

x

_J'avais échapé l'obscurité, (I have escaped the darkness,)  
__Mais as-t-il vraiment disparu? (But has it really disappeared?)  
__C'est difficile de déterminer (It's hard to determine)  
__Parce que c'est encore dans ma vue. (Because it's still in my view.)_

_Donc, si tu pourrais comprendre (So, if you could understand)  
__Le bataille en moi-même, (The battle within myself,)  
__Peut être tu pourrais répondre (Maybe you could answer)  
__Aux questions que j'ai. (The questions that I have.)_

_Je ne sais pas (I don't know)  
__Pourquoi je l'avais fait. (Why I have done it.)  
__Je le regretterai (I will regret it)  
__Et j'essayerai de promettre (And I will try to promise)  
__Que je ne le ferrais pas encore (That I won't do it again.)  
__Je souhait qu'on peut oublier. (I hope that we can forget.)  
__Peut être un autre jour (Maybe another day)  
__Mes memoires seront cachées. (My memories will be hidden.)  
_

_J'avais avarié la lumière de la lune (I have tainted the light of the moon)  
__Et pour ça je suis désolée. (And for that I'm sorry.)  
__Je part maintenant, je quitte les ruines. (I'm parting now, I'm leaving the ruins.)  
__Je suis obligée. (I'm obligated.)_

_Et quoique ça me cause de douleur (And even though it causes me pain,)  
__Ce n'arrivera encore jamais. (It will never happen again.)  
__Je retourne mon pouvoir (I'm giving back my power)  
__Pour te protèger. (To protect you.)_

_Je sais pourquoi (I know why)  
__Ceci devrait être fait (This must be done.)  
__Et je regretterai (And I will regret)  
__Et je fais mes promettres (And I make my promises.)  
__Que je ne le ferrais pas encore (That I won't do it again.)  
__Je souhait qu'on peut oublier (I hope that we can forget)  
__Peut être un autre jour (Maybe another day)  
__Mes memoires seront cachées. (My memories will be hidden.)_

_Parce que je le laisse, (Because I leave it,)  
__Peut être ça va mieux maintenant. (Maybe things will be better now.)_

**END**

xxxxxxx  
_Les Memories Cachées (Hidden Memories) is copyrighted© to Laura Barton.  
Thanks for reading.  
-L.Barton  
_xxxxxxx

**PREVIEW  
**_Forced: Creator of a Falling Star_  
The Saga Continues!

"In Japan?" the white haired girl questioned, her brows furrowing. Instantly she didn't think it was a good idea, no matter _what_ her shrink had to say.

"Yes. I think that your returning to Japan for a couple of months will be good for you. I feel you are ready to cope with whatever happened there now and work through it."

--

The two girls shoved through the crowd, even though a few stopped them and told them they had to run. Ignoring those people, they finally made their way to the edge of the crowd, noting that a car was being overturned in the street. Both gasped as they saw that the people were still inside the car, and screaming loudly at that. At present, they couldn't see what was doing it though.

"What's doing that?!"

"Let's worry about that later and just transform!"

"Moon Crystal Power!"

--

"Essa," Spike looked to the former Senshi, noting wide eyes upon her face. She'd felt and perhaps even heard the same thing he had.

"Please… no…"

--

"You still don't hear it, do you, Essa?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know what it is. But it never stops."

--

"It ends here, Serenity..."


End file.
